Double Trouble
by sea-ess-eye
Summary: Teenage versions of Emma and Regina appear in Storybrooke and to everyone's surprise the girls hit it off immediately... "We have to stop this, Emma. She can't fall in love with the younger you. She has to meet Daniel and fall in love with him - his death starts it all. Or otherwise, Regina won't grow up to cast the curse, Storybrooke won't exist... and Henry will never be born!"
1. Meet cute

**Double trouble**

**Summary: **Teenage versions of Emma and Regina appear in Storybrooke and to everyone's surprise the girls hit it off immediately...

"We have to stop this, Emma," warned Mary Margaret. "She can't fall in love with the younger you. She has to meet Daniel and fall in love with him - his death starts it all. Or otherwise, Regina won't grow up to cast the curse, Storybrooke won't exist... and Henry will never be born!"

**A/N:** Usual disclaimer applies. Rated M for later chapters. Thanks for reading :).

* * *

"_The past is never where you think you left it."_

― _Katherine Anne Porter_

* * *

**Chapter 1 'Meet-cute'**

David's day went downhill rapidly when he had to go arrest his teenage daughter for shoplifting.

He turned up at Tom's grocery store where the cashier had called in a robbery in progress, apparently the "punk kid" was still in the store. David crept to the end of the aisle where he saw the back of a slight blonde girl stuffing packets of chips down her dress.

"Hey! Turn around slowly, kid," warned David, holding out his Deputy badge.

The girl whirled around - she wore black thick-framed glasses and dark red lipstick and had on a tartan dress over black tights and boots. She raised her hands, still holding fistfuls of chocolate bars.

"Listen, officer. I was totally gonna pay for all this stuff. With real money!" the girl said in a fake little-girl voice and put on wide eyes.

"Emma?!" said David incredulously.

"How'd you know my name," said the girl suspiciously, eyes darting around the store for an escape.

David looked at her more closely - she seemed young, a teenager in fact, and slightly shorter and skinnier than the 28 year old Emma that he knew. How was this possible?

"Emma, how old are you?" he asked carefully.

"I'm not telling you anything, cop."

The door bell jingled, signalling a customer and Emma used the distraction to push a metal display of boxes over with a clatter. She bolted for the door and disappeared down the street at a sprint.

David just rolled his eyes and went to the back exit...

Outside, teenager Emma Swan jogged down down the alley with her haul intact and checked over her shoulder a few times.

"Cops really are as dumb as they look," she scoffed to herself before turning back around...

...and she ran straight into a 6'4" brick-hard chest.

"Are we really?" said David with a raised brow. He grabbed her wrists, spilling the chocolate bars to the ground, and cuffed them together. "You're coming with me."

* * *

Emma made an obnoxious show of yawning behind the glass of the interrogation room at the Sheriff's station.

Mary Margaret stared through the glass and then looked back at David, shaking her head in disbelief. "David, what is going on here? Who _is_ that?"

"That's Emma. More or less."

"No. I saw Emma an hour ago. She brought Henry's lunch to school. It can't be her - it has to be someone in a magical disguise."

"There's only one way to find out," said David.

He opened the door to the interrogation room and entered with Mary Margaret following at his heels. Emma regarded them with blank boredom as the pair took seats opposite her at the table.

"Well if it isn't Mr and Mrs Deputy Sheriff. Yay," said the teen sarcastically.

Mary Margaret shot David a confused look. "Emma, you don't know who we are?"

"Um, no. Duh. Why would I?"

"Emma, how old are you?" David asked repeating his question from the store again.

"Why do you want to know?"

David gritted his teeth, losing patience with her backchat. "Answer me, young lady!"

"Seventeen," Emma said begrudgingly.

"Where are your parents?" asked Mary Margaret, trying to test out where the girl was from.

"Don't know. Don't care." Emma shrugged, looking at the corner of the ceiling as if it were interesting.

"Someone must be looking for you..."

"They'd better not be," said Emma darkly. "Or they'll regret it. I ran away. My asshole foster father did _this_ to me."

Emma yanked up the sleeve of her dress to reveal a row of pink puckering scars obviously caused by cigarette burns.

"Your foster parents... But what about your birth parents?" pressed Mary Margaret, feeling a pang of guilt at the state of her daughter.

Emma's face froze at the mention of them. "I'm done talking."

"Do you know where they are or-"

"I don't _want _to know!" said Emma angrily. "They left me on the side of a road. If I saw them in the street today I'd walk right on past. Or spit in their faces."

Mary Margaret and David shared looks of guilt, shock, and dread at their apparent teenage daughter's anger toward them. Her older counterpart hadn't mentioned it but was she hiding it from them that she'd felt this way?

"Emma, how did you get to Storybrooke?" asked David.

Emma shrugged carelessly. "Dunno. Something weird happened. I was sleeping at the train station and then I was just here."

Mary Margaret looked at her sadly. "And you were stealing because you were hungry and alone."

* * *

David left his office where he'd made a couple phone calls, leaving a message on Emma's voice mail. He joined his wife who was sitting on the corner of the Deputy's desk.

"Um, Mary Margaret? Where's Emma?"

"Oh. I let her out. She had to go to the bathroom," said Mary Margaret, apparently as naive as she sounded.

David sighed making a noise more like a growl, and strode over first to check the empty interrogation room and then to kick open the door to the bathroom - also empty.

"She's gone," he said.

Mary Margaret cringed, realising she'd confused a punkass teenage version of Emma for her own more mature Emma. "Sorry."

"Come on. She can't have gotten far," said David, grabbing the keys to the cruiser.

* * *

Emma jogged along the deserted main road that lead out of town. It seemed to be the only road that actually went anywhere in this weirdo pace. She hadn't seen a single car coming or going or else she would've hitched but she was almost at the town line anyway.

She slowed to catch her breath slightly and jumped a mile at the sound of crunching leaves underfoot coming from her right. Someone was in the woods coming towards her.

"Don't come any closer, I'm warning you! I'm a karate in black belt... I mean, switch that. Anyways, I'll kick your ass till it hurts!"

A young girl about her own age stepped out of the brush, holding her hand up pacifyingly. She wore a sky blue riding jacket over fitted black trousers and boots, with her dark chocolate hair braided elegantly around her head like a crown and ending in a long plait. She approached with her hands out and cringing apologetically.

"I'm sorry, can you help me? I don't know where I am," said the brunette in a genteel voice.

Emma's mouth went dry as the girl came closer, seeing that she was extremely pretty. "Uh sure. I uh, anything. Yeah."

"I'm Regina." The brunette smiled widely and held out her hand politely.

Emma shook the dainty hand and flicked her blonde ponytail casually. "I'm Em. Emma Swan."

"Nice to meet you Em," Regina returned the greeting by rote. "I think I'm lost. I was riding my horse on my father's estate and then the next thing I know I'm here."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "'Your father's estate?' What are you, like some kinda rich princess?"

Regina's face reddened bashfully. "My father was a prince, but he lost his title. So no, I'm not a princess technically."

Emma grinned rakishly. "Well, princess. Seeing as how I've got nothing better to do... I'll help you get home."

The girls fell into step continuing on the road out of town, talking and sneaking looks at each other the whole time. But their meet-cute was interrupted suddenly when Emma heard a siren whoop and saw a car approaching with blue and red lights flashing.

The teens stopped in their tracks as the police cruiser came screeching to a halt. Emma grabbed Regina's hand, since she looked scared at the sight of the car. Emma saw that it was the dumbass Deputy getting out from behind the wheel with an unamused expression on his face.

"Whatever you do don't tell them anything, princess," Emma said urgently. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Regina nodded quickly. The naive girl automatically put her trust in the first person she met in this world.

* * *

"I want my phone call."

Emma was hanging on the bars in one of the cells at the Sheriff's station and Regina was in the other cell, perched daintily on the bed and watching everything with wide eyes.

"I know my rights! I want a phone call," insisted Emma loudly.

Mary Margaret and David shared a look of long-suffering frustration, hearing the demand for the tenth time in an hour.

"Who are you gonna call, Emma?" asked David, knowing full well the girl had nobody to call.

"Pizza? The White House? Ghostbusters?" sassed Emma, starting to sing the theme song from the movie. "_When there's something strange... in the neighbourhood... who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!"_

Mary Margaret sighed at their obnoxious child. "When did - the Sheriff - say she was getting here?"

David checked his watch. "Five minutes ago."

The real Emma walked in right that second, holding a takeaway coffee cup and a bunch of paperwork from the town meeting she'd been at.

"David, _what_ is so urgent? I was in the middle of - oh my god, what the hell? Who are they?"

The older Emma stopped in her tracks and her jaw dropped at the sight of the girls in the cells - her own teenage double and Regina's.

Younger Emma seemed taken aback as well. "Hey! Why do you look like me? Except older obviously, and fatter."

Emma glared and rounded on David and Mary Margaret with narrowed eyes. "What is going on."

David answered her as helpfully as he could, explaining what'd happened so far. "We don't know. We were hoping you could sort this out."

Emma put the stuff on a desk and then walked from one cell to the other, first eyeing her young self (who met the gaze with a challenging glare) and then moving in front of a young innocent-looking Regina in the next cell.

"What's your name?"

The blonde teen in the cell next door interjected fast. "DON'T say anything. Never trust cops."

Regina answered apologetically. "My friend says not to tell you."

Emma raised her chin. "I bet you must've known your friend for a long time to trust her that much..."

Regina brightened. "No, actually we just met in the woods today but-"

"Shhh princess!" hissed the young Emma, recognising the trap.

"Sorry, Em," mumbled Regina.

Emma watched their interactions closely. "How old are you, Regina?"

"Eighteen." The young brunette avoided her hard gaze by looking at the floor.

"How did you get here?"

"I'm not sure."

Emma let her voice harden, trying to scare the girl into giving them some answers. "You must know something. Start talking now or I'll have to interrogate you. Do you know what that means?"

"Please don't. I'll be good."

The young Regina looked like she was about to cry and her friend stuck her hand through the bars and placed it on her shoulder.

The blonde teen glared at Emma. "You made her cry, you jerk."

She went to the front of the cell and grabbed the bars in her fists. "You can't keep us locked up in here! We haven't even done anything wrong. Turn your back for five minutes and we'll be gone, I swear. I'm like Houdini, yeah? You hurt her again and I will end you."

Emma took in a deep breath of frustration and counted to ten in her head. She joined Mary Margaret and David to whisper furiously at them.

"How the hell did this happen. Where are they from?"

Mary Margaret shrugged with each suggestion. "The past? Fairytale land? A parallel universe? It has to be something magical... a spell or curse."

"But the young me didn't replace me me," said Emma, puzzling it out. "Hey, have you tried to find Regina? I mean, our Regina - the older meaner one."

"She's not answering her phone," said David.

"Ok," said Emma. "First we gotta see if Regina still exists and then we'll figure out what to do. But in the meantime we can't let the girls go and have them run all over town causing trouble. We have to keep an eye on them. Especially me. I mean, younger me."

"Emma, were you really that much of a brat at that age?" said David, afraid of the answer.

"Worse," said Emma, with a grimace. "Trust me, do not give that girl an inch and do not take your eyes off her."

"Is it wrong that right now I don't regret giving you up and having to live through that?" said Mary Margaret wryly.


	2. Two-by-four

**Double trouble**

**A/N: Wow, I am so amazed by the response to the first chapter! And now I'm scared cos I have to follow through and make this story really good ;). Enjoy!**

* * *

"_One's past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged."_

― _Oscar Wilde_

* * *

**Chapter 2 'Two by four'**

Regina called out to her son when he alighted from the school bus in Main street. He hiked up his backpack straps and gave her a dull look when she came over.

"What are you doing here, Mom," said Henry.

"I came to meet you at the bus stop," said Regina with a stiff smile. "I thought we could spend some time together this afternoon."

"Does Emma know you're here?" Henry raised an eyebrow at her and then turned to head for the entrance to Mary Margaret's apartment building.

Regina stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Please Henry. I miss you."

"Right. You just want to get me alone so you can cast that curse to make me love you."

"Henry, you saw me destroy it."

"You probably xeroxed it first," said Henry stubbornly.

Regina knew that the curse was long gone. Curses could only be cast from the words they were originally created from - they could not be memorised or copied. But there was no-one to verify that and no proof. She had hoped her actions would have been enough to convince her son that she was trying to change. But like always, he refused to believe it. She had no idea what more she could do to convince him. Perhaps there was nothing.

"My mother used to do magic on me. I won't do it to you," said Regina softly.

Her son shrugged her off and continued on his way. Regina gritted her teeth and followed after him.

"Henry, I don't care if Emma has to supervise! I just want to see you. We could go to the diner for hot chocolate? Anything you want."

"Mary Margaret will make it for me when I get home," said Henry unkindly, trying to make her go away.

He ran up the stairs to the flat, leaving her behind.

... but he'd learned his stubbornness from somewhere and when he went through the apartment door he saw Regina appear in the apartment in a cloud of purple smoke. No-one else was there and it made him nervous.

"Mom," Henry sighed in annoyance.

"Please, Henry. I need to know." Regina reached out to stroke his cheek gently. "Was it really all bad with me? For ten years you thought I was your mother."

"It wasn't bad," Henry admitted. "But you were. Underneath it all."

"Do you hate me that much Henry?" asked Regina thickly. "What is it about me that you can't love?"

Henry shifted uncomfortably, trying not to fall for what he assumed was an act but he felt guilty all the same.

"How can you even ask that after what you've done, Mom? You know exactly what you are. You've always been bad... I just didn't see it before."

* * *

"Regina's still ignoring her phone," said Emma in annoyance. "Or just me."

Emma led the pack climbing the stairs to her parent's apartment. The two teenage girls (the blonde was in handcuffs) were being force-marched behind her with David and Margaret forming the rear guard. They couldn't exactly keep the teens locked up in jail cells indefinitely so in lieu of any better idea, they'd decided to keep them under house arrest in the apartment until they figured out what to do with them.

"Cool," said Em gleefully. "Escaping an apartment is way easier than escaping jail. See ya later, suckers."

"Where are we going?" said young Regina nervously. "It's getting late. I'll miss tea."

Emma twisted the knob of the front door, finding it unlocked and assumed that Henry was already home.

"Henry, are you home yet?"

Emma pushed the door open and was shocked to see her son and his mother talking earnestly.

"Regina," Emma growled. "What are you doing here-"

"I wanted to see my son."

Regina glared at her and then her expression changed to shock as the teens came into the apartment followed by Mary Margaret and David. Though rather familiar with magic and it's use as a disguise, Regina could hardly believe her eyes at what she saw. Henry too was wowed by the sight of the young doubles of his mothers.

"Woah!" gasped Henry.

"What is going on here?!" said Regina.

"So, that settles it I guess. Regina still exists in this world," said Mary Margaret dryly.

"You sound disappointed, dear." Regina smiled darkly with no humour at all.

"Regina, did you have anything to do with this?" asked David, gesturing to the teens.

There were only a few people in town with magic and Regina was one of the obvious possible perpetrators of malevolence/mischief. The former Evil Queen was capable of being a cunning manipulator and star actress but her surprise appeared to be genuine as she went up to the young girls to study them closely.

"No, I didn't do this," breathed Regina. "But where did they come from and how did they get here."

"You're me?" said the young Regina curiously.

Regina looked at her own double for mere seconds and then fixed a look on the young Emma who was staring at her in quite a different way.

"Check it out, princess," Em said in amazement. "You've got an older version here too! Except yours is _bangin'_. Wow."

Regina sent Emma a sly glance and pointed to the younger version. "I think I like this one better. Can I keep her?"

"Ohmygod yes!" Em grabbed her arm and begged. "Can I go with you? Anything to get away from these hypocrite cops."

"You're not going anywhere," said David firmly.

"Excuse me?" said Regina, taken aback. "What right do you have to take custody of these girls? And why is she in handcuffs? She's a child."

"She's a thief," said Emma dryly. "What's the big deal. She's gonna go to an actual prison in a few months anyway. I did."

"Indeed," said Regina coldly. "I'm sure you enjoyed your Fifth Amendment rights. You don't know prison until you've been locked up indefinitely in a medieval hellhole."

"You deserved that," said David pointedly.

"Hey, don't listen to these jerks," said Em, sucking up to Regina. "Nobody wearing Prada could be all bad. I'm sure you did nothing wrong. Neither did I."

Mary Margaret shot her daughter a disapproving look. "Emma, seriously? It only took Regina five seconds to turn your younger self to the dark side?"

"Hi, I'm Em," said the blonde teen, batting her eyelashes at Regina.

"Regina Mills," she answered with a light smirk.

"More like 'Queen of my heart'," said Em smoothly, making them all groan. "Can I have some food? I'm starving and that dumbass cop took all my candy."

"Let's go. Take my hand?" said Regina, offering her palm.

"Hell yes!" said Em happily.

And before the others could stop them, Regina and Em disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke.

Emma kicked the air in frustration and clenched her fists, unsure if she was angrier at Regina or at her idiot younger self. Now that Em was out of her sight and teamed up with Regina... god knows what trouble they'd get into together, not to mention what they'd tell each other.

"She can do magic?" a small voice came from someone they'd overlooked.

With one stricken look, the younger Regina's face crumpled and she ran out the apartment door.

* * *

Em and Regina appeared in a swirl of purple misty tendrils on the porch at 108 Mifflin Street. Regina waved her hand over the handcuffs causing them to disappear from the teen's wrists. Em was curious at the sight of the magic and the fact that they'd just transported halfway across town, but she more taken by the apparent opulence of the mansion.

Em's jaw dropped. "Holy shit, you live HERE?!"

Regina opened the front door and led the blonde teen into the foyer where she started yanking at her boots to take them off. Em looked rather thinner than her older counterpart and not half as healthy. Remembering the girl's complaints of hunger, Regina intended to get a meal into her straight away.

"Follow me to the kitchen?" suggested Regina.

"Um, I dunno," said Emma, eyeing the expensive artwork and antiques. "Maybe I should just stay outside. I totally don't belong in a place like this. I'll wreck something."

"You are not sitting outside on my porch. Why would you think that?"

Regina headed for the kitchen with Em following and taking in everything with wide eyes.

"Because I'm a bad kid. They all say so."

"Who says?"

Regina gestured to the stools at the bench for her to sit while she got out ingredients for dinner.

"Everyone." Em shrugged. "Nobody wants me. I'm a level 5 risk - 'Maximum supervision needed'. I'm a troublemaker. A thief."

"Maybe you're just creative at getting what you want," said Regina wryly.

Em laughed. "Maybe. But you can do magic! That was awesome. What else can you do?"

"Oh, this and that," said Regina vaguely.

Regina waved her hand over a pot of water on the stove and in an instant it began to boil. She dumped a fistful of dry pasta that came from nowhere into the water and caused it to swirl magically until it was covered fully. She preferred to cook properly these days since magical shortcuts weren't quite as good as the real thing but at least this would get dinner on the table more quickly.

"So what's the story with you and Sheriff Skinnyjeans? I don't think she likes either of us much."

"We don't see eye-to-eye on anything - especially when it comes to my son."

"That kid's yours?"

"Yes, but she won't let me see him."

"Bitch," grumbled Em. "You seem alright, god if I had a Mom like you I wouldn't be such an idiot... What's her problem?"

Regina pressed her lips into a tight smile. "I've done some terrible things. But she doesn't think I can change."

"Yeah well, you and me can stick together then and Crankypants can hate us both... Hey, how come I grew up boring and my Regina grew up cool? Not even fair."

Regina whipped them up a quick batch of spaghetti and doled out the steaming pasta onto two waiting plates. As they ate, she noticed Em taking yet another breadroll and stuffed it into her pocket where she'd already hidden a couple of apples.

"You don't have to hide food. You can have as much as you want - now and later," said Regina.

"Oh, yeah," said Em, embarrassed both by what she was doing and for being caught. "Sorry. Force of habit. Thanks for dinner by the way. The only thing my foster mother ever cooks is meth."

After a while, Em slowed eating to ask something that had been bugging her. "Regina? When you were younger would you have - I mean - do you think she would ever-"

Regina looked at the blonde carefully. The teen was shaking her head in annoyance at herself and stabbing at her pasta.

"What do you want to know, Em?"

"Nothin' - it's just that you're- she's so pretty when she smiles. Or anytime really."

* * *

Emma chased after the young Regina, knowing that the girl was from Fairytale Land and was just as likely to run into traffic as not. She was prepared for a long chase, but she found the young brunette standing on the kerb only feet from the apartment building's entrance. The girl was looking left and right anxiously, as if wondering which way to go.

"Which road? I don't know which way is right," said the young Regina fearfully.

"Er, that way is right," Emma frowned and pointed in that direction. "But neither way leads home for you."

"I'm going to get in so much trouble."

"Hey," Emma said, softening her tone. "No you're not. Don't believe everything Em says. We will look after you and help you get home alright?"

That seemed to mollify the girl's fears substantially. Em had warned her not to trust anyone but her in this world, but that hadn't quite sunk in with the naive girl and she was inclined to let any adult take over her care - especially one promising to get her home.

"I suppose I believe you. You are her, aren't you? An older Em?"

"Lay off calling me old and we'll get on just fine, k?" said Emma with a smile. "Call me Emma."

"Why did Em leave me, Emma? Are you going to stop me seeing her?" said the young brunette worriedly.

"Uh-" started Emma. "It's complicated. The woman she went with -"

"Me?"

"-Yeah. She and I don't really get along."

The young Regina looked confused. "That's strange."

"Why is it strange?"

"Because of how I feel about Em," said the young brunette, starting to blush.

Emma had to force her jaw not to drop and hid her shock at the girl's words and what they meant. Hadn't the girls only met today?

"Come on, Mary Margaret's going to put dinner on. Let's go back upstairs."

During dinner, the adults all kept stealing glances at the girl, hardly believing that it was really a younger version of the Regina they knew. First she had asked when 'Cook' was serving and if she could help, then she would jump a mile to get out of anyone's way as they passed, and now she was thanking Mary Margaret for dinner over and over - as though she hadn't expected to be given that much.

"I'm Henry," he said to the girl sitting at the dining table next to him.

"That's a lovely name. It's my father's name too," said the young Regina fondly.

"I'm eleven. How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"That's so weird," giggled Henry to himself.

"I think my mother would agree with you. She wishes I were already married, eighteen is far too old to be unmarried she says."

"You have to get married already?" cried Henry.

David, Mary Margaret, and Emma all shared wary looks, knowing all about Regina's history of being forced into marriage and also knowing the young age of brides in medieval times. The true depth of that fact and what his mother had likely endured had gone over Henry's head.

"I suppose. My mother will find a prince or another high-ranking noble. But if I had my choice - I really wish I could marry for true love," said the young Regina wistfully.

"The stable boy?" guessed Henry.

The brunette looked confused. "We don't have a stable boy. Our stable master is getting frail though, he is searching for a youth to take his place but has been unable to find a suitable candidate."

"She hasn't met him yet," murmured Mary Margaret.

"There is someone I really like though..." admitted the young Regina, her face colouring rosily. "Did you ever meet someone and just know you wanted to be together, to know everything about them?"

Mary Margaret looked at Emma in alarm and they hastily went to the kitchen under the auspices of getting dessert.

"Emma, who is she talking about?" Mary Margaret hissed, afraid of the answer.

"It's Em! She has a massive crush on her I think," whispered Emma furiously.

"We have to stop this, Emma," warned Mary Margaret. "She can't fall in love with the younger you. She has to meet Daniel and fall in love with him - his death starts it all. Or otherwise, Regina won't grow up to cast the curse, Storybrooke won't exist... and Henry will never be born!"

"That's not the only reason," said Emma darkly. "Em is a bad kid. We have to keep her away from Regina. Or that girl in there is going to get her heart broken."


	3. Caught

**Double trouble **

* * *

"_The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."_

― _L.P. Hartley_

* * *

**Chapter 3 'Caught'**

After dinner Em had a request for Regina. Although she was grateful for everything she'd been given so far, she was always a pusher of boundaries and was more than equal to the task of asking for more and seeing how much she could wrangle.

"Hey Regina? Can I have a shower and borrow some clothes?"

"Of course. I'll show you where everything is. I'm not sure if I'll have anything you'll like but you're welcome to whatever you find."

"Thanks," said Em awkwardly. "I don't wanna have to see her again wearing this and being all grotty-looking like some kinda streetkid."

While Em was changing in the bathroom, Regina dug inside her own closet and then Henry's closet. She came up with a pair of too-small jeans she'd forgotten to return, a tanktop, and a sports jacket of Henry's in navy with white stripes down the arms. She grabbed some new underwear and socks and a pair of Henry's Cons and went to knock on the bathroom door. The door was laying ajar and Em stood at the mirror in her underwear. She was even thinner than she appeared when dressed and her ribs were showing alarmingly.

Regina gasped at the sight of the enormous angry-red graze that covered Em's entire back, like she'd come off a motorcycle or had been dragged across a gravel road by the foot. She pushed through the door and automatically reached out to her.

"Em, what happened to you?" gasped Regina.

Em flinched. "Don't! Don't touch me."

Regina drew back immediately and held up a palm. "Ok. I won't. But are you hurt?"

Em wrapped her arms around her thin middle. "Whatever. It's nothing ok."

That injury was definitely not nothing, Regina thought. Most likely abuse at the hands of one of her foster parents and it filled in a piece of Emma's empty past. She didn't want to press for details or insist on seeking medical care in case it scared Em off altogether though. Regina decided to leave it for now, but that rash was going to sting badly when the girl got in the shower.

"It looks painful. I can give you something to put on it?" offered Regina.

"It's nothing," Em insisted.

"I can help you-"

"Listen you've been real nice to me, but I don't trust you. I don't trust anyone so just drop it ok?"

"I brought you some clothes." Regina held the items out like a peace offering.

"Thanks," Em smiled weakly and took off her thick black glasses to set them on the sink.

* * *

Over at Mary Margaret's apartment, a similar scene was going on. Emma was sitting on top of the toilet seat and Mary Margaret was on the edge of the bath. Both of them were trying to convince a teenage Regina to have a bath but she was being stubbornly reluctant for some reason.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want a shower?" offered Emma again.

"No no," young Regina said shiftily. "It's fine. I know I smell like horse - I was riding - but don't worry. I'll bathe when I get home."

"It really is ok," said Mary Margaret, trying to convince the shy girl and fearing that it might be some time before they managed to get her home.

"But you can't afford it!" blurted out the girl, and then clapped her hands over her mouth. "I am so sorry - I'm sorry!"

Emma tried not to laugh, but she was confused. "Why do you think we can't afford it?"

"Because you don't have any servants," said young Regina, with a fire-red face. "And you all live in this small loft. But I don't mind really! I'm not above lowering from my station. I'm grateful to you for everything you've done for me."

Mary Margaret took pity on the naive girl and explained. "Things are different here in this land. People don't have servants anymore. It may not seem like it but we're more well-off than most."

"Oh," the young brunette said in a small voice. "I've never been away from my father's estate. My mother says poor people live like dirty savages in tiny hovels."

Emma tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at her curiously. She wasn't going to miss an opportunity to get at some of Regina's secrets. It had never sat right with her that Regina had sided with her mother the minute she'd turned up in town - why would she have done that when Cora had killed the love of her life? And had only just framed her for a murder that didn't even happen? It didn't make sense.

"Do you always do what your mother tells you?" asked Emma casually.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" young Regina said, sounding confused by the question.

"You seemed afraid when you saw Regina perform magic earlier. Your mother uses magic doesn't she?"

The teenager looked at the tiled bathroom floor sadly. "I don't like magic. Why would I ever learn?"

Emma glanced warily at Mary Margaret, heading into dangerous territory. "You uh, had something you wanted to accomplish."

"No. I would never do that. Anything worth having can be gotten without magic," young Regina said with conviction, sounding more mature than she had yet.

"Wish you'd convince yourself of that," said Emma dryly. "Regina doesn't seem to get it."

"Ok we need to find something else to call you," said Mary Margaret to the teen, trying to keep the names straight. "This is getting confusing."

_Yeah right, _Emma thought to herself. _Like we'd confuse this scaredycat little waif for the Evil Queen - caster of the curse to end all curses! Or the Mayor who manipulated and bullied everyone around till she got her own way...This girl is nothing like Regina._

"Em calls me 'princess'?" said the teenage Regina.

"How about Gina? Or Ginny?" suggested Mary Margaret.

"Hell. No." said Emma firmly.

"Ri," said the teenager with a smile. "Then I match Em."

"There we go," Emma put on a plastered smile and punched the air lightly. "Now how about that bath, Ri?"

* * *

In the middle of the night, Em threw off the covers of the bed revealing her still-fully dressed self and grabbed her Cons from the floor. She opened the door to the guest room softly and peeked down the hall. The door to Regina's bedroom was open, so Em crept down the dark hall without making a sound and made her way out of the mansion.

Once her feet hit the pavement outside she broke into a jog, her breath clouded in front of her in the chilly night air as she headed across town. She only stopped once on the way, to retrieve something special she spied behind a shop window - nothing stood in the way of an experienced thief with nothing to lose. Not to mention one armed with a brick. The alarm didn't go off so Em took what she wanted and continued on her way.

Inside the apartment, Em tip-toed through the dark until she found who she was looking for. She found her easily, sleeping peacefully under a blanket on the couch in the living room. All was dead quiet, dark, and still in the apartment.

Em leaned on one knee beside the lounge and trailed the back of her fingers down the girl's cheek.

"Princess?" whispered Em.

Ri woke up and her eyes went wide. "Em! Wh-"

"Shhh! Quiet." Em held a finger to her lips, just visible in the dim light.

"-sorry," whispered Ri as she sat up. "I'm so glad to see you, Em!"

Em looked her over and groaned. "Oh my god, what have they done to you... Snoopy pyjamas!"

"Aren't they sweet? Look at these little dog pictures and the fabric is so soft. I wonder where it-"

Em cut her off. "Focus, Regina! I have to get you out of here. You're coming back to Regina's with me."

Ri shrank, afraid to tell her the truth. "Em, I don't want to."

"Why? You can't stay here with these jerks. Come to Regina's. Please?"

"But they've been really nice to me. And I'm not going where there's magic, Em. I'm sorry."

"That's ok." Em smiled and stroked her cheek. "But nothing will stop me seeing you. Finding people is kinda my thing... so is finding ways around people. I had to see you."

Em held out a single red rose.

* * *

Emma groaned when her phone rang underneath her pillow wrenching her from sleep. She grabbed it quickly before it could wake Henry (dead to the world as usual) and answered the call.

"Regina, what the hell? It's 3am," hissed Emma into the phone at a whisper.

"_Is Em there with you?"_

"What? No," said Emma annoyed, getting out of bed to pace. "You abducted her this afternoon, remember? Don't tell me you've lost her already-"

"_She's not here anymore. I'm worried about her."_

"She can take care of herself. For god's sake, I said not to trust that girl as far as you can throw her but did anyone listen to me?!"

"_Emma, she needs help. I think she was abused."_

Emma clenched her jaw tightly. "News flash. She's me. I know what happened."

"_Then you should have some sympathy!"_

"Oh please, she'll get over it. She's a bad kid anyway."

"_Don't you dare say that in front of her! She already thinks that. You and your parents are so close-minded, you think everything you do is right and everything I do is-"_

"Do not make this about you, Regina. Oh and by the way, since you haven't asked, your younger self is fine, thanks to me-"

"_Of course she is."_

"- except for the fact that she jumps when anyone comes near her. She's terrified of her mother and of magic and of the entire world! She's so afraid of not being a good girl, she was beside herself thinking she was gonna miss dinner and her mother would find out. She acts like she's twelve, not eighteen. She asked us what the correct way to bathe was - like she'd never been trusted to do it herself before! What the hell happened to you, Regina?!... Regina!"

Emma heard Regina's line go silent as she hung up on her.

* * *

Ri took the rose from Em's hand. "It's pretty. As far as I can tell in the dark."

"Not as pretty as you," said Em nervously.

"I think you're really pretty too," said Ri shyly. "I never thought that about a girl before. Well, I haven't really met anyone my age before - boy or girl - so I don't know..."

Em sat on the couch next to Ri, as close as she could get.

"I know I'm kind of an idiot," admitted Em. "No-one ever wants to get to know me ... but I really like you, princess."

Ri smiled happily. "I want to know you better too, Em."

Em smiled nervously and took one of Ri's hands and laced their fingers together.

"It's weird huh? We only met today but I already feel like we should be together. But something strange is going on here - we don't belong here I don't think. And we might have to go back to where we came from one day soon."

"Maybe we're both in a place we don't belong."

"And even if we were together I got nothing to offer you."

"I don't care! I really don't. There's only one thing I dream of."

"What's that," Emma said hopefully, immediately deciding that whatever it was, whatever it cost, if it was in any way possible she'd get it for her.

"I don't want to say yet," Ri said softly.

"Bummer," said Em, a little disappointed. "That's gonna make my search doubly hard."

"You're close," hinted Ri.

Emma's eyes dropped to Ri's lips and she leaned in closer. "How close?"

"Very," giggled Ri.

A tiny distance away from her lips, Em cupped Ri's face gently and whispered. "Can I kiss you?"

* * *

Emma stared angrily at her phone after Regina had hung up on her and clenched her fists.

Seconds later, a cloud of purple smoke appeared in front of her and then Regina stood there in the bedroom. She was dressed in slate-coloured satin pyjamas with a dark grey robe belted around her middle. Regina was distracted for a moment by the sight of Henry sleeping in the bed and then glared malevolently at Emma.

"Regina, what the hell are you doing here?" hissed Emma at a whisper.

"Emma, whatever you think-"

"You can't just magic yourself around and appear in someone's bedroom like a creepy stalker!"

"I came to get Em. She is here! I know it," Regina whispered forcefully.

"Even if she is... you are not taking her back. The girls are staying here with us."

"No. I'm taking them both this time!"

Emma growled in frustration, glancing at Henry to see if he'd woken. She grabbed Regina's elbow and marched her out of the bedroom as quietly as she could while still being rather rough.

"Regina, we can not let the girls be together. If they're from the past it could mess up the future, the present - everything could be ruined -"

Emma's jaw dropped and Regina was hardly less shocked at her side as they stared at the sight on the couch in horror.

Em and Ri were making out like a couple of teenagers.


	4. Houdini

**Double trouble**

**A/N: **Wow! Thanks for the awesome response to last chapter. Love you guys! I had the day off today so I thought I'd gift you with an early chapter. Seems like everyone's pretty keen to see the reaction to the kiss... Enjoy!

* * *

"_I desire no future that will break the ties of the past."_

― _George Eliot_

* * *

**Chapter 4 'Houdini'**

Em was laying full-length on top of Ri pressing her knee between the girl's legs and she moved her hand inside Ri's pyjama shirt as they kissed deeply. Neither of them noticed Emma and Regina being there.

Emma turned on the lights and grabbed Em's arm pulling her off the other girl. Ri sat up in shock and Em started protesting and fighting against Emma like a wildcat.

"What is your problem, jerk?" yelled Em, trying to shake off the strong grip on her arm.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" lectured Emma angrily. "You can't just go through life taking whatever you want."

Mary Margaret and David came downstairs from the top bedroom looking sleepy and rumpled. David stifled a yawn and Mary Margaret frowned at the scene taking place in her living room.

"What's all the yelling?" said David.

"What are Em and Regina doing back here?" said Mary Margaret. "It's the middle of the night."

"Em ran away. We caught her and Ri together..." Emma started to explain with a 'you know what' gesture.

"That was my first kiss. It was lovely," said Ri, blushing prettily and holding her fingertips to her lips.

Emma put her face into her palms. "They were making out."

At the adults' horrified expressions Em rolled her eyes. "Hey, old people, would you just chill out? What's the big deal?"

Emma turned serious on her younger self. "The big deal, Em, is that you took advantage of that young girl. She didn't know what she was doing."

"She does now." Em winked.

Ri looked crestfallen. "What have I done? I don't understand. Am I not a maiden anymore? Mother says such girls are bad and never get married."

"We didn't get that far, I swear," cried Em. "I didn't do THAT to her!"

"She's going to kill me!" Ri panicked.

Mary Margaret rushed to put her arms around Ri since she was becoming really upset. "No no honey, that didn't happen. I'll explain it to you later ok?"

"Mary Margaret, you can't mess with the past-" David warned.

Mary Margaret's eyes hardened at her husband. "You know what's about to happen in her life don't you? I am not letting her face that knowing absolutely nothing, David, that's cruel."

"Wait. What's about to happen in her world...?" Em glanced shrewdly at Regina's stony-masked face. "She's about to get married isn't she. No. I can't stand the thought of some rich old dude putting his filthy hands all over her and inside her and just- no! This is disgusting!"

Em reached for Ri's hand and promised her. "I won't let that happen. I can get us out of here. Trust me. I'm like Houdini."

David frowned at the phrase Em had used once before, a thought suddenly occurred to him as they tried to sort out this mess.

"Em, how'd you get into the apartment? The doors are locked from inside and all the windows were closed. We're not even at ground level... how did she get out of your house, Regina, was there anything broken?"

Regina shook her head. "No, I locked up..."

Realisation dawned on Mary Margaret's face as well. "And she got out of the jail easily as well. She got all the way to the town line where she found Ri. How, Em?"

"I dunno," Em said evasively.

"You must know. How did you get in here?" David asked again, emphasizing the words.

"I- don't- know," insisted Em. "I just need to get in somewhere and I do."

Emma sighed and explained reluctantly in a monotone voice. "She's using magic, she just doesn't know it. That why she can take what she wants and then get away with it so easily. That's why she can find anyone she's looking for. I've always been able to make things happen but I didn't realise I was doing it. There was only once when I couldn't get myself out."

"I had to see Ri," said Em, gripping the other girl's hand tightly. "I wanted to see her. She's mine."

Emma glared at her younger self. "She's not yours. You shouldn't have done this and you know it."

"Oh yeah, hypocrite? And what were you doing with Regina in your bedroom just now?"

"Not what was happening out here."

"Good," said Em harshly. "Cos you don't deserve her anyway. You treat her like crap and you won't even let her see her son."

"Is that what she told you?" Emma glared at Regina.

"It's the truth," said Regina, with as much venom as she could put into the words.

They locked their gazes on to each other, neither willing to back down from the staring contest until a new voice arrived to interrupt the tense silence. Henry came out of the bedroom he shared with Emma, rubbing his eyes like he'd just woken up.

"Why is everyone yelling?" said Henry anxiously. "What are you doing here, Mom? You're not supposed to be here."

"God you are such a little shit," said Em nastily. "You don't even know what you've got! If I had a Mom I wouldn't treat her like you treat yours."

Being spoken to like that by his 'mother' had Henry almost in tears so Emma grabbed him to comfort him straight away. He pointed to Mary Margaret and David and spoke in a wobbly voice.

"But you do have a Mom, Em. Mary Margaret is your Mom. And that's your Dad, David."

"No way." Em scoffed in disbelief and thumbed at Emma. "They're the same age as her!"

"It's true, Em," Mary Margaret said in a soft voice.

"Magic screwed everything up," said David. "Time got frozen for a while."

Em looked at Regina for confirmation, the only one she trusted enough not to lie about this right now.

Regina nodded sorrowfully. "It is true. I cast the magic that made this happen."

Em raised her chin and regarded David and Mary Margaret defiantly. She paced in front of them like a cougar in a cage, appraising them like they were prey and examining their every feature closely for the first time. These hypocrite cops were her parents? The ones who had abandoned her at birth, leaving her on the side of a road as if she was worth nothing to anyone? They didn't appear to be crack addicts, or dirt-poor, or mental cases... in fact they appeared normal, or better than normal. There didn't seem to be any legitimate reason immediately apparent for tossing her away.

"So why'd you give me up? Didn't I fit into your perfect life?"

"No!" Mary Margaret denied it with wide eyes. "Em, that wasn't it at all. It was because of the curse, Re-"

"I don't care what it was," Em interrupted in a steely voice. "It should've been nothing. There's no reason to ever give up a kid. I would never do that. Not for any reason. Nothing could be more important than being together. But I'm a bad kid and you wouldn't want me anyway so as if it matters."

Mary Margaret held out to her hands to Em's face but the teen flinched and moved out of reach.

"Em, we loved you. We had to give you up to save you. It was the worst thing I ever had to do-" said Mary Margaret, fighting tears.

"I wish I'd never been born," said Em cruelly.

Emma grabbed Em's arm and wrenched her around to face her angrily. "Wake up to yourself! You think your life's bad now? Everything's about to get worse, I promise you that. There's others even worse off than you. So you'd better suck it up and stop feeling so sorry for yourself. Cos you're gonna need to be strong for what's coming."

"Then I'm not going back and you can't make me! I hate my life," Em yelled.

Tears formed in Em's eyes and they darted around the room as if she were looking for an escape. But Emma recognised the signs and wrapped her arms around the teen before she could try to run.

"Emma, don't!" said Regina hastily.

Em cried out in pain from the rough handling on her sensitive back from the gravel rash and dropped to the floor crying. At the same time Regina threw out her arm and magically tossed Emma away. The others were all stunned seeing her fly across the room to crash into the wall.

Regina moved to block the others' view of Em and held up her hand letting it glow magically.

"Do not touch her again."

Shaking in fear Ri stepped up to her older self. She looked tiny and impossibly young standing there in her Snoopy pyjamas. She was clearly terrified by the show of magic, even if it was done in name of protecting Em.

"Why are you doing this? You're just like her," said Ri.

"Grow up," said Regina coldly.

"But why are you like this? I don't want to be you. I don't want magic."

"It will not be your choice," said Regina grimly. "Others will force you onto this path, believe me."

"For crying out loud, Regina, you're still trying to convince us you had no choice in all this?" said David incredulously.

Emma got up off the floor, breathing hard with anger. "Look. We are going to figure this out. The girls are going to have to go back to where they came from. If they're from the past and we change things it could affect everything that happens. Everything could unravel one thread at a time."

"I don't want to go back," sobbed Em thickly. "Today was the best day of my life. I don't wanna lose Ri!"

That thought was pretty upsetting - the homeless girl had been dumped in a strange place and arrested twice but because she'd met a friend and received some small kindnesses in the form of a meal and some clothes ... _this_ ordinary nothing-much day was the best one of her entire life?

"I have to go back too I suppose?" said Ri sadly. "It sounds like there must be something bad about to happen to me... but I'm glad I met Em first. I think I could endure anything if I knew I'd see her again one day."

"Please trust me, princess. I will find you." Em cupped her hands around Ri's face.

Ri nodded. "Don't ever change. I like you already."

"Hey, Romeo and Juliet!" said Emma sarcastically. "Your tragic teenage romance isn't over yet. The only place you two are going right now is to bed."

"Separately," added David firmly.

* * *

Regina swirled her arm in circular motions and all of Mary Margaret's furniture flew upwards and stuck upside down to the ceiling as if glued there by mistake. She conjured three single beds in the living room obviously intending them to be for herself, Em, and Ri.

But Emma had other ideas, she shook her head at Regina and pointed to her own bedroom.

"Uh uh. You cannot be trusted either. You are sleeping in there with Henry."

"But Emma-" Henry started to protest.

Regina waved her arm again and her son's bed from home appeared next to the others, not that there was much room left in the apartment now. Without looking at any of them, she stalked away to her assigned bedroom and shut the door.

Em and Ri went for beds next to each other but Emma intercepted her younger self and shoved her to the other one.

"No way," said Emma firmly. "I'm in the middle one."

Mary Margaret and David had already gone back upstairs so Emma tucked Henry in and shut off the lights before taking to her own bed so they could all get a few more hours sleep before morning.

"Psst princess!" whispered Em.

"Yes?" Ri whispered back.

"Sweet dreams. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

"I won't," Ri giggled softly. "Sweet dreams to you too."

Emma rolled her eyes even though they couldn't see in the dark, supremely annoyed at the ping-pong lovey-dovey conversation she was now in the middle of.

"Dream of me?" said Em.

Before Ri could answer, Emma butted in. "Would you girls shut up? You're sickening."

Em gave up any attempt at being quiet and spoke at her normal volume. "Well, sorr-ee Sheriff Crankypants, but I think you're just jealous."

"I am not jealous."

"Ha ha! You totally are. I saw you checking her out. You can't keep your eyes off Regina's -"

A loud banging came from the upstairs bedroom. "Everyone shut up and GO TO SLEEP!"


	5. Allies

**Double trouble**

**A/N:** Thanks for the follows and reviews! You guys have such interesting ideas :)... but it seems everyone wants more of Em and Ri!

I've also started a new story **Baby Fever**, which is the sequel to Flu Love's Kiss, so you might like that too. Enjoy!

* * *

"_No man is rich enough to buy back his past."_

― _Oscar Wilde_

* * *

**Chapter 5 'Allies'**

"This is the worst family breakfast ever," said Mary Margaret to herself, looking around the table forlornly.

The beds had disappeared and the furniture that was stuck to the ceiling had been put back to it's normal arrangement. The seven of them were crammed around the tiny dining table scrabbling over the breakfast things and either chatting or lapsing into tense silences: Mary Margaret, David, Emma, Henry, Regina, Em, and Ri.

To their surprise Em had recovered from all the yelling she'd been doing a few hours earlier... but since there was food available, a roof over her head and no immediate plans for sending her back (not to mention Ri's hand to hold under the table), she was happy. She mostly ignored Mary Margaret and David, giving them the silent treatment whenever she chose to. Or not.

"Actually the worst breakfast ever is a mouldy bagel under the rail bridge in the rain," said Em hoity-toitily.

"Yes, your life is the suckiest of all. You win, Em," said Emma dryly. "Cry me a river."

Em ignored her and chatted away happily to Ri. "Hey Ri, if we're gonna be here for a little while, I've got so much to show you in this world! We can go to the mall and I can get you anything you want: clothes, jewelery, a fridge... ok maybe not a fridge - that one's a two-man job and I doubt Sheriff Skinnyjeans over there is up for it, even though she knows she co-ould." (Em sang the last part obnoxiously.)

Emma merely took a sip of her orange juice and ignored the teen.

"What's a fridge?" said Ri curiously.

"That cold white box over there with Emma's heart in it," said Em, squinting at her before turning back to Ri.

"Hey! Guess what, there's this new movie that just come out. I've snuck in to see it like five times cos the main girl's really cute. I fell asleep in the theatre last time and the stupid security guard walked right past me and didn't even see me-"

"That's cos of your magic, idiot," Emma muttered.

"-but I would totally see it again. You wanna go? It's called Bring it On."

"That movie's so old!" said Henry, laughing. "Emma's got it on DVD."

"That movie is stupid," sniffed Emma.

"No-one asked you, Little Miss Boring Grown-up," said Em, wobbling her head.

"This is the best family breakfast ever," murmured Regina, hiding her smirk behind her coffee mug and thrilled to be witnessing this.

Mary Margaret noticed Em's empty plate. "Em, do you want me to make you some more toast?"

"Yes. Stuff something in her mouth and shut her up," said Emma.

Em reached over to Mary Margaret's plate and casually grabbed her mother's toast instead of waiting for her own. She put the slices on her plate, as though she was provoking them all to see who would tell her off for it. But nobody did. Her parents suspected that she was just testing the fences for weaknesses and that any show of parental discipline would only fan the flames of her anger against them.

"I'm starving!" said Em. "I could eat forever and still be hungry. I've got hollow bones."

"It's hollow _legs._" Emma rolled her eyes and got up to make her mother some more toast.

Regina took an egg from the serving bowl and put it onto Em's plate. "Eat this, it'll fill you up better than toast."

"Thanks, Regina. You're awesome," said Em sweetly. "I like you the best. I mean, after Ri of course."

"Why are you sucking up to her?" said Henry, confused.

Em started drumming her fingers on the table and put on a deep cinema announcer's voice. "This breakfast is rated Em. For Mature audiences only!"

David snorted, trying not to laugh, wondering how much Ritalin it would take to bring Em back down to the level of a normal person. His daughter used to be quite the character.

* * *

After breakfast, everyone got dressed normally in their own clothes except for Em who was still wearing her jeans and jacket from last night, Regina who conjured her day clothes with magic and Ri who was given a pretty white skirt and blouse of Mary Margaret's to wear.

Ri was rather taken by her new clothes ("...but this corset is strange. I don't like it.") and she was wowed by Regina's smart-looking black pencil skirt and wine-coloured satin blouse. She sat next to her older self on the couch and then reached out to play with Regina's shorter haircut. Emma was amazed that Regina tolerated it since she hadn't yet shown any patience at all for her timid younger self and usually ignored her when possible.

"Why'd you cut it?" asked Ri, running her fingers through the shorter dark locks.

"I ... like it this length," said Regina uncertainly. Her hair had been that way since the curse and it hadn't occurred to her to grow it back.

"It looks nice. But Mother says short hair is for boys. What did she say when she saw it?"

"Nothing."

Regina kept her tone even, not wanting to tread into dangerous territory by explaining what had happened with Cora. Obviously it hadn't occurred to her younger self to ask why her mother wasn't in this world anymore. She knew she'd probably panic without there being an iron fist to be ruled under. She wouldn't know what to do with herself. For Regina, it was painful enough to have her mother mentioned every five seconds.

"I like your outfit. Did Mother choose it for you?"

"No."

Emma came over holding a coffee mug and sat on the lounge opposite the two Regina's. She smirked at the older one for the topic of the conversation.

"The girl loves clothes huh, Regina?" said Emma. "I bet the first thing you did after you cast the curse was go shopping."

"That was the second thing actually," snarked Regina.

Em wandered over and plopped on the lounge, slouching next to her own counterpart. She nodded at Regina's shoes. "Those are Prada. I know cos I sell the fakes on ebay."

Ri tilted her head shyly at Regina, getting up the courage to ask what she was dying to ask. "Can you tell me one thing?"

"I can't tell you that," said Regina firmly with a shake of her head.

Ri quickly glanced at the Emma's and pleaded with Regina. "Please tell me?"

"Yes. And no," Regina answered stiffly.

"Oh," said Ri sadly, but she was confused by the answer.

The others were completely lost by the cryptic conversation. Emma narrowed her eyes at Regina, wondering if she'd let slip any secrets that could affect the future. Well, any more secrets than were already out.

"This world is really strange," said Ri, seemingly randomly.

"You haven't even seen much of it yet," said Emma wryly.

Ri's first day in the real world had only involved the woods, the Sheriff's station, and the apartment. Neither had Regina herself seen much of the world really, Emma realised, since she'd never been out of Storybrooke.

"I can show you!" said Em.

She jumped up, grabbed Ri's hand and took her to the window where she drew the curtain back with a 'ta-da!' flourish. The two teens stood side by side at the window, Em happily pointed things out to Ri who was taking it all in with wonder.

Emma raised her eyebrows at Regina and cringed as if to say "you fell for that corny line?"

Henry wandered over to peer out the window with them. "What are you guys looking at?"

"The futuurrre!" Em announced pointing and looking at the ceiling like she intended to blast off in a rocketship.

"You're kinda weird," said Henry, wrinkling his nose.

"Hey, watch it, kid," said Em, taking offense. "I'm not gonna be a streetkid for the rest of my life, you know. I'm taking computer classes at the community college. I already know more than the teachers. Those idiots haven't even realised that I enrolled with a fake credit card and a train station as my address."

"Again, that's cos of your magic, idiot," called Emma from her place on the couch.

"Whatever, Crankypants," said Em, going on to brag to Henry. "If you think I can get in and out of buildings to steal stuff easily you wait till you see me with a computer system. I can hack into anything and they don't even know I've been there. I'm like Houdini."

Henry scrunched his face at his mother. "Your catch cry is really kinda annoying, Emma."

"I'm great with computers," said Em again. "I can find anything. Hey Henry, can I borrow your laptop?"

"No," said Emma firmly, knowing what she was getting at. "You are not looking up lottery numbers, stock prices, or World Series results. You becoming a millionaire will destroy the world."

Henry frowned and then snuck a glance at Emma before running off to the bedroom. "Be right back. I just have to check something!"

Em smirked knowingly. "He's gone to delete his internet history hasn't he?"

Emma nodded. "I've already looked through it."

"Ha, nice." Em laughed once and then froze her expression. "I mean, you suck."

* * *

Later that morning Em and Ri were sitting at the table playing a boardgame that they'd found in Mary Margaret's cupboard and Henry was bugging them to let him play too.

"Buzz off, kid. I'm trying to be with my girlfriend," said Em, swatting his hands away from the plastic square tiles.

Henry pouted pathetically. "Please. Why can't I play?"

"Because that would violate the rules. Scrabble is only for two."

"It is not!" said Henry indignantly.

Emma and Regina were in the kitchen nursing coffees while they waited for Mary Margaret and David to return. They'd gone out to try to find if there anyone else knew anything about the magical mess they were now in. Tired of the kids' squabbling, Emma called out to them to knock it off and ordered her younger self to be a bit nicer to Henry.

"For god's sake, Em, let him play with you! It won't kill you."

"Stay out of it, Cranky," sang Em. "Scrabble is serious business."

"You're going to lose anyway cos you dropped out of school and you've got the vocab of a ten-year-old," muttered Emma.

Ri moved over to make space for Henry. "Why don't you come be on my team, Henry? I don't know how to play this game."

"This is gonna be fun," said Henry, smiling at his new buddy happily.

But Emma was right - by the end of the game Em had gotten a trouncing, not even taking Henry's contribution into account. Em was amazed by how smart Ri was and pestered her about her education following which Ri admitted bashfully that she hadn't been to a proper school as she wasn't allowed off the estate.

Em's jaw dropped. "You NEVER went to school? Lucky!"

"How come you know lots of big words, Ri?" said Henry.

"I have four hours tutoring every afternoon," said Ri with a slight grimace. "Mother says I need to be able to present well at court and be clever enough to know when the nobles are conspiring against me."

In the kitchen, Emma gave Regina a look. "Or was it clever enough to concoct evil conspiracies of your own?"

Regina didn't bother to answer.

Emma rubbed a hand over her face. "Argh. Do you think we've already screwed up the future?"

"What do you mean," said Regina carefully.

"If the girls go back to the past and remember everything that happened here won't it change things? I mean, Younger Me knows all about her parents and magic ... and Younger You knows that her life is about to suck royally when she gets married - no pun intended - what if they decide to do things differently? What if we've changed too much already?"

"Maybe we haven't changed enough."

Emma frowned at her. "What? No. If they are us from the past then they need to go back so that they can grow up and become us. If things don't happen the way they did the first time then... I dunno, stuff could start randomly disappearing or something. Like Storybrooke. Or Henry!"

"That won't happen."

"Oh, saying so makes it a royal edict does it, Your Majesty? They have to go back to the past. Em has to get pregnant and go to jail so that Henry will be born. Ri has to meet Daniel and marry the King so she casts the dark curse. That's how it went."

"Yes, thank you for reminding me. I'd quite forgotten," said Regina quietly.

"Look," Emma said uncomfortably. "I don't like it either and I get it - your life sucked. So did mine. But the past is in the past and this is how it has to be. We got through it ok."

"I didn't." Regina's eyes flashed. "And I don't think you did either."

Emma clenched her jaw tightly. "That doesn't mean we can go back and edit our lives to remove all the crap parts."

"What else do I have?" said Regina flatly. "Nobody believes that I want to change my present. I may as well try to change my past."

Emma's face dropped in shock. "You _want _the girls to be together?"

"So what if I do?"

"Why?" Emma persisted in disbelief. "They're from different worlds. Different times. They're not even really us - they're figments of the past."

Regina got up from the stool, keeping her eyes downcast. "If she has to go back to her life... I just want her to have some happiness first."

Emma was surprised by Regina's compassion... but which girl had she been talking about?


	6. Rage

**Double trouble 6**

**A/N: This chapter is rated M. Trigger warnings and mentions of child abuse. Minor references to past events only, no scenes. Also some strong language and mature scenes.**

**I promise most of the fic will be much lighter than this! Thanks everyone for reading and supporting this story :).  
**

* * *

"_Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real."_

― _Cormac McCarthy_

* * *

**Chapter 6 'Rage'**

When Mary Margaret and David arrived back at the apartment, they surreptitiously gestured to Emma and Regina to come meet them out in the hall.

Em, Ri, and Henry were otherwise occupied watching Bring It On on the boy's laptop. Em was saying all the dialogue in perfect timing and trying to explain the jokes to Ri who obviously got none of the pop culture references. Ri seemed to like the cheerleader outfits though.

Emma closed the apartment door behind herself and Regina, leaving it cracked just in case. She peeked through the gap at her younger self as though she were a bomb that could go off at any second.

"Did you get any answers?" Emma asked her parents urgently.

Mary Margaret shrugged as if to say yes-and-no. "The Blue Fairy doesn't know where they're from or how to get them back."

"As helpful as ever," muttered Regina.

"But Pinnocchio and Marco were there with her - she thinks that maybe something went wrong with the do-over spell," said David.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You mean the spell misfired? August gets a do-over and so do Regina and me? We get another chance?"

"I don't think so," said Mary Margaret, frowning. "August was replaced by his younger self, the little boy who came through the wardrobe. You and Regina haven't been replaced by Em and Ri."

"Yes, _August_ certainly deserves another chance at redemption doesn't he?" said Regina sarcastically.

"Regina, give it a rest," said David impatiently. "You are well past that point. You've spurned every chance you've ever been given."

Regina's eyes flashed dangerously. "So he gets to relive his hedonistic lifestyle all over again? Sipping mai-tai's in Phuket? Meanwhile that girl in there is living under a bridge half-starved. He had one job in coming to this world - protect Emma - and he didn't even do that."

"Em can take care of herself," said Emma tightly.

"No she cannot," returned Regina fiercely. "She is a child. She is underweight. She was physically abused and-"

"She had cigarette burns on her arm," put in Mary Margaret.

"Not to mention her entire back whipped by road rash like she was dragged across the asphalt," said Regina in an accusatory tone, as though it were their fault.

"Oh, Emma-" said Mary Margaret pityingly.

"Stop!" Emma held her palms in the air. "Look - just stop - I know all this! It's _me_ you're talking about."

"Your foster parents abused you, Emma?" said David gently, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Emma shrugged him off defensively. "Why is this such a surprise to everyone? You gave me up. Granted you didn't know where I'd end up at the time but you know now. The real world isn't a fairytale. I ran away when I was 17 and lived on the streets. Even prison was a better option than the foster home I was in. How can you not suspect what my life was like?"

Mary Margaret shut her eyes against the prick of tears. "You _are_ angry at us."

"You traded me for breaking the curse. And it's worked out fine now, so can we please just move on. The past is in the past. I don't care anymore and I don't want to talk about it."

"The past isn't in the past, Emma," said Regina. "It's in the living room."

Emma glared at her. "And what about you huh. That sweet innocent girl in there? Everything she says convinces me that your mother controlled your every move and you were so brainwashed you didn't even know it was happening."

"Life taught me not to be so naive," said Regina darkly.

"Right," Emma scoffed. "Except that you had zero skills to deal with the crap that life threw at you. Your mother twisted your mind and opened the door so that anyone powerful enough could walk through and take control. Paved the way for Rumpelstiltzskin didn't she?"

"As your father says, it was my choice," Regina said slowly in a low dangerous voice.

Mary Margaret spoke up. "But Cora always was-"

"Don't you even say her name in front of me! She's dead because of you!" Regina's barely suppressed rage exploded murderously. She pointed at Mary Margaret's heart.

"You still love her, don't you," said Emma.

Regina whirled on her. "Of course I love my mother! You should know what that's like now that you have one. And now mine is dead because of yours."

"The reason you're trying so hard to forgive your mother... is it because you want Henry to forgive you? You want it to be possible."

"I want my son back!"

"You had a real chance for that. I was gonna trust you... but like always your mother swooped in and lured you back. You are on a knife edge here, Regina. If I turn my back on you are you gonna stab me?"

"If I get the chance." Regina glared at her, and then at Mary Margaret.

"No. You come after Mary Margaret again and I will kill you."

Regina stepped up into Emma's face dangerously. "Don't underestimate me. You know what I'm capable of. I can kill all of you and reduce this town to ashes in seconds."

"Don't underestimate _me_," Emma said, bare inches from her lips. "You _don't_ know what I'm capable of. When Em uses magic she could be standing right in front of you and you won't even see her. You think _she's_ a loaded gun? Wait till you see what I can do. You come after my family again and I will end you."

* * *

"Take a photo, kid, it'll last longer," said Em, without taking her eyes off the laptop screen.

Em was sitting on the couch close to Ri with her arm draped around her. Henry was staring at them while the girls watched the movie as though he couldn't quite believe she was really Emma nor that Ri was really his Mom. This latest time Em caught him so he'd hastily returned his attention to the screen where the last group in the cheerleading contest was about to start performing.

"I wasn't looking," said Henry.

"Yes, you were. You were staring at us."

"No, I wasn't."

"You're lying, kid. I can tell."

Henry tested her out. "You can tell when anyone is lying?"

"Yup," said Em confidently. "Anyone. Just another one of my awesome superpowers."

Em was finding him really annoying, staring and pestering her all the time. She'd had enough of living with other children of varying degrees of brattiness in group homes and she wasn't very tolerant of them any longer. Plus he kept intruding on her time with Ri and butting in.

"Do you want kids one day, Em?" asked Henry, deciding to go on a fishing trip.

"Ew. No way," scoffed Em. "Why would anybody? Kids are brats."

"I think children are sweet. I hope I have children one day," said Ri. She leaned over Em to smile at Henry, trying to soothe his hurt feelings.

"Ri's nicer than you, Em," said Henry, with his chin jutting out.

"Boo hoo. Now be quiet, my favourite part is coming up."

"The whole movie is your favourite part."

"So be quiet for all of it then."

"No."

The cheerleading contest in the movie ended, and switched to scenes showing the crowd and the judges instead of the main characters. It'd taken Ri a little time at first to understand Em's explanation that it was a fiction and the people weren't real - she couldn't quite grasp that it wasn't really happening.

"Em?" said Ri curiously. "What happens to the people when they're not in the little window?"

"The characters in the movie?" said Em, wondering what she was actually asking.

"Yes. Where do they go?"

* * *

"By the way," said Emma casually, still outside the apartment in the hall. "I hope you weren't too attached to your valuables... cos Em will have already stolen them."

Mary Margaret was slightly skeptical. "But we've been with her the whole time-"

"Uh huh. Sure." Emma raised her eyebrows at her.

"But she's just a -"

"_Don't_ let her get into your medicine cabinet either," Emma interrupted again. "You got anything harder than Tylenol you better flush it before she can get to it."

David shook his head at her in utter disbelief. "Emma, stop trying to convince us that you were some kind of devil child."

"I am not exaggerating," said Emma seriously. "I was a bad kid. Why won't you believe me?"

"We're your parents," said Mary Margaret with a small smile.

"You're idiots," Regina broke in. "Emma, they don't want to believe it because they're afraid of knowing what happened to their baby girl when they sent her away."

"I look at Em and I realise I don't know you at all, Emma," Mary Margaret gave her a sympathetic face full of pity and regrets.

"Stop looking at me like that," said Emma in annoyance. "Both of you."

"We gave you up without knowing whether you'd be ok... are you angry because you did the same with Henry?" asked David gently.

"I can't decide if that was the right choice right now!" said Emma heatedly, starting to really lose it. "If I'd kept him he would've started out life in the backseat of my car... but at least he wouldn't be in the middle of this fucking ridiculous blood feud between Snow White and the Evil Queen. I don't even care if the curse never got broken. I should've just taken Henry ages ago and left you all to deal with this fairytale nonsense yourselves!"

"You wouldn't do that, Emma. You're good," said Mary Margaret confidently.

"Oh really?" Emma held her palms like a set of scales. "Ri started off good but now Regina is bad... Em is bad but now I'm good. How does this make sense? How can you just sum up an entire person's life with these labels? The world doesn't fit into neat little boxes like Good and Evil just because you want it to."

"If I have to face the Council I want her as my legal defense," said Regina wryly.

* * *

After the movie was over, Em had managed to be mean enough to Henry to hurt his feelings so he'd dragged his feet off to his room and taken the laptop with him. Em considered that a double bonus, getting rid of the adults and the child in order to be left alone with Ri finally. But she was softened a little when Ri gave her that kind look and said: "_He's only little, Em. Be nice?"_

Even Ri was excited they were alone though and she nervously placed a little kiss on Em's lips, light as a butterfly's wings. It didn't take Em long to get things going, quickly taking the kiss to the next level and running her hands everywhere she could. She knew Ri wouldn't take any initiative so she guided her where she wanted her, pulling her on top of her so the other girl was straddling her thighs.

Em moved Ri's dress up and pushed their hips together, trying to give Ri the hint. She was dying to feel Ri's bare skin and Ri's hands on her as well. But she was basically running this show herself so she took one of Ri's hands and placed it under her own shirt to palm herself with their hands.

Ri was starting to get it though - or at least she knew what was feeling good. _Really_ good. It felt so hot and throbby moving against Em's thigh, she didn't want to stop. Her heart was beating fast like she'd been racing and it began to pound even harder when Em touched her somewhere new.

Ri gasped. "Em!"

"Sorry, too fast?" Em panted.

"It feels-"

_Please say good_, Em begged silently.

"I don't know what to do. Is this right?"

"Yes," Em sighed. "Keep going?"

Ri was out of breath still but seemed a little anxious. "Em, have you done it? What Mary Margaret told me."

"Um, yeah. But it wasn't very good."

"Oh."

"But it would be with you!" Em said hastily, trying not to scare her off and lose her chance.

"Em, is it really good?"

"Yeah, see it's like, um," Em stammered. "It'd be good with us. Cos uh, we want to and stuff. But not until you're ready?"

Even though she didn't answer Em could tell from looking at Ri's worried face that she definitely was not ready. Em was torn by desire and dread. She suspected what was in store for Ri in her future marriage and though she was tempted to try to coerce her into it so that her first experience would be safe and loving... Em knew that Ri really wasn't ready and if she did bend the girl's pliable will she'd just be first one to hurt her in that way. The thought made her blood cold.

Em sat up, shifting Ri so she was still sitting astride her lap, and held her close so they could wrap their arms around each other. Ri laid her head over Em's shoulder in the crook of her neck and closed her eyes. Em sighed, holding Ri safely in her arms and never wanting to let her go.

"I'm pretty sure love makes it good, Ri," she said softly.

* * *

Things were deteriorating in the hall as the four adults continued to hash out all the ugly details of the past.

"Emma, were you ever-" started Mary Margaret in dread.

"No. I wasn't." Emma broke in swiftly, knowing what she was going to ask. "But Regina was, weren't you?"

"What," said Regina thinly.

"Marital. Rape." said Emma grimly enunciating the words. "Em's right isn't she? It _is_ disgusting. That poor girl in there, Ri, she's about to get married against her will-"

"Don't make me sound like such a pathetic victim. It was normal for the time period." Regina crossed her arms and looked away, but she was clearly becoming upset.

"You didn't even know what it was but the King claimed his rights anyway didn't he-"

"Stop- st-" Regina heard the roaring in her ears begin to build.

"Did he put his hands on you? Put himself inside you?"

"Stop! It hurt so much," gasped Regina, shutting her eyes tightly against the dizziness. But her voice wasn't her own, it was lighter and younger and in that moment, she was Ri all over.

"My father?" whispered Mary Margaret in horror, as though the thought had never occurred to her before.

Emma turned and barked an order at her parents. "Get inside, now!"

"But Emma-" started David in alarm, afraid to leave her with Regina.

"I can take care of myself," snapped Emma. "Go!"

After they were gone, Emma put her hands to Regina's distressed face and sighed at her own cruelty. She put her arms around Regina and pulled her close, though the other woman did resist a little at first she fell into it and allowed herself to be held. Emma's voice was soft near her ear when she spoke.

"I'm sorry to bring this up for you but I need you on my side... and the others can't know or they won't let us mess with the past."

Regina drew back far enough to look at her with a question in her eyes.

Emma's face set with stony determination. "We're going to save the girls."


	7. Gossip queen

**Double trouble 7**

**A/N: There were some great questions about last chapter and some reviewers will have already received answers by PM but I can't reply to guests that way and others might want to know as well...**

**1) "If Mary Margaret knew what was going to happen to Ri in ch 3 why was she surprised by the knowledge of what her father did to Regina in ch 6?"**

In ch 3 MM didn't want Ri to go to marriage without knowing anything about sex but she didn't realise the extent of what happened between her father and her stepmother, as she was only a child at the time. She didn't know Daniel was killed when Regina seemingly changed her mind about marrying the King. Now as an adult she knows what it was probably like but it's still extremely hard to believe such a thing about her father.

**2) "Why is Em so knowledgeable about sex/ Was Emma lying?"**

It's left open to interpretation but for me, Emma wasn't lying - she wasn't sexually abused. I think in canon OUAT Neal was her first... but in this story she's been with someone else (not Neal, she hasn't met him yet), it's just that her first time wasn't very good.

**3) "Why was Emma so cruel to Regina at the end?"**

She wasn't quite expecting to see Ri come out of Regina in that way, and she did push her too far. Emma was only trying to get all of the crap in both their pasts to the surface so they can try to move past it. They're all currently stuck because of the feud between Snow and Regina, and one of the problems is that Emma's parents are overlooking just how much Regina's life sucked and made her who she was.

* * *

"_History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon."_

― _Napoleon Bonaparte_

* * *

**Chapter 7 'Gossip Queen'**

Inside the apartment the others were getting ready to sit down to lunch. Mary Margaret and David were setting out plates and food items, every now and again they glanced worriedly at the door where they knew Emma and Regina were continuing their intense discussion/fight just outside.

Em pulled out the chair and gestured with a flourish for Ri to sit down. "Milady."

Ri giggled. "Thanks, Em."

David sent Mary Margaret a wry look at their young daughter's smooth moves. "Looks like chivalry isn't dead after all."

"Who's dead?" asked Henry, taking some bread for his sandwich.

"Never mind," Mary Margaret told him. "Here, do you want some salad?"

The apartment door opened and Emma came in followed by Regina, both of them with stiff postures and avoiding each other's eyes, trying to lend credence to covering their newly formed conspiracy. They noticed the lunch setting and silently went to join the table.

Unconsciously Emma pulled the chair out for Regina before taking her own. The others were stunned to see her repeat Em's move - although with far less ceremony.

"Whoomp, there it is!" Em laughed to herself, detecting the change in the older couple immediately.

"You say the funniest things sometimes, Em," said Ri, with lovestruck eyes.

"I know, I'm hilarious. I don't even try, it just happens."

"I think you're weird," said Henry.

"Hey Ri, try this," said Em, producing a brightly coloured foil packet in her hand. "It's chocolate. You'll love it."

"Where did you get that?" David frowned.

"You didn't take _all_ my candy, cop," Em said smugly.

"It's sweet!" said Ri, biting off a corner of the candy bar.

"Not as sweet as you, princess." Em leaned over to kiss her cheekbone quickly.

"Can't we just have dinner without the show?" said Emma, rolling her eyes and kicking Em's leg under the table.

Em poked her tongue out at her. "Hey, pay attention, Crankypants, you might learn something. I got the moves. You might get somewhere with yours if you try."

The air seemed to crackle with tension around Emma and Regina as they continued to avoid each other under the curious gazes of Mary Margaret, David, and Henry. Em and Ri's romance raised obvious questions about their own relationship. Why had the younger girls hit it off so easily when their older versions had spent their early days hitting each other with everything they had? Was it just that they were both defensive and territorial over their own claim on Henry or was it something else? Whatever was between them was hard enough to define without an inquisitive audience.

Ri spoke up hesitantly. "Regina? When you go riding can I go with you?"

"I won't be going riding," said Regina.

"Oh. But don't you miss Rocinante? I miss him already and it's only been a day. He's my best friend."

Apparently it hadn't occurred to Ri that her childhood steed would be dead by now nor that her older self no longer went riding at all. Not to mention how sad it was that the sheltered girl had a horse for a best friend. Her interest in the topic seemed to bring the words spilling out of the normally quiet girl though.

"You like horses, Ri?" asked Em, keen to know everything about her.

"I love riding! It's my favourite thing. I ride an hour every day and longer if Mother is away. Last time I got in trouble though because I went near the vault. I know Mother is keeping something from me in there. I think it's my trousseau! I hope it is."

Ri turned to Regina. "I'm dying to know. Is it?"

"It is your wedding gift, yes," said Regina in a dark tone missed by only half the table.

"If I have to get married I suppose I'll at least have a beautiful gown. I've made it myself, I can work magic with a needle and thread. I managed to get some fairyshot for the embroidery. I'm going to have my hair braided into a crown and my dress will be white, of course, to honour the baby princess."

"T-the baby princess?" stammered Mary Margaret.

"Oh yes. Princess Snow White. I suppose she's not a baby anymore, she's seen eleven winters now I think. Ever since her birth all brides have worn white."

"You know Snow White already?" asked Henry, confused.

"No," sighed Ri. "I begged mother to take me to court to see the Royal family but she wouldn't. She doesn't approve their politics but I think they're so interesting. I'd love to have seen the Princess - they say she is the sweetest child - but I think I'd be too scared to meet royalty. It is a shame about the Queen. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my mother..."

Regina kept her eyes on her plate but she could feel everyone watching her - well, Emma and her parents anyway - it was disturbing and mortifying listening to her younger self. She could feel Emma's entire focus on her and when she reached under the table for her hand, Regina folded her own away first. Ri kept on babbling her thoughts though, oblivious to the tension.

"I heard that the King is scouring the countryside looking for a new bride. He must be grieving terribly, they say he and the Queen were a True Love match. He really ought to marry the Daughter of Tinburgh, that would make the most sense politically but apparently she dislikes children so I suppose that would be an unsuitable choice. It will be good for the Princess to have a mother again. I wonder who it will be?"

"This is actually painful to listen to," muttered Emma.

"Oh! I'm sorry." Ri started to blush. "I shouldn't gossip so about the Royals. It's nothing to do with me. Mother always says that."

After that they could barely get another word out of Ri (even though Emma assured her she hadn't meant it like that) and the rest of them lapsed into awkwardness as they ate. Sweet little Ri's words were heart-breaking in conjunction with the knowledge of what spectres lay ahead in her life at the hands of the very Royals she admired and the mother she trusted implicitly. Not to mention her expression of pity for the grieving King who would one day defile her innocence. It made Emma's blood run cold.

Mary Margaret was especially unsettled by what Ri had said, especially in light of what she'd just realised about Regina. As a small child she'd thought that everyone married for True Love and when her father told her he had found a new bride, she'd naturally thought that had meant he'd fallen in love again. Snow had found out that Regina was in love with someone else but when she'd married her father anyway she'd thought that maybe they had something after all. It had gone over her head as a child, but now as an adult she could look back and see that things about that marriage were far from right. It grieved her to realise the extent of what her father had done to her former stepmother - she didn't want to believe him capable of hurting anyone. She'd idolised her father and it hurt to find out he wasn't as good to others as he was to her. Maybe that was what Emma wanted her to see.

The pixie-haired brunette was jolted out of her thoughts when Em leaned over and placed a small round object on her plate with a metallic chink sound. Her face dropped in shock and she checked her left hand quickly before picking up the object. She hadn't even noticed it was gone.

"Sorry. It looks important," said Em contritely.

"My wedding ring!" gasped Mary Margaret.

"I don't take things to hurt people," said Em firmly.

"Someone always gets hurt when you steal," said David.

"No. People have too much to start with. They fool themselves into believing they need a bunch of possessions and that they can measure the value of their life by what they've bought. But they don't know it's worth nothing. I don't need anything or anyone except myself."

Henry piped up in a curious voice. "But if you're so good at stealing why do you live at the train station? Why can't you buy whatever you want?"

"You can't buy what I want," said Em quietly. "And I live there because I want to."

"But it's a train station..." said Mary Margaret, cringing.

"Why do you like living there, Em?" asked Regina.

Em shrugged. "It's freedom. For the first time in my life I've got no grownups bossing me around or tossing me around or telling me what an idiot I am. I can do whatever I want and I can come and go anytime."

"But isn't it dangerous?" said David.

"Not really. I can take care of myself. Sure there's the drunk dudes and the occasional rapist around but they don't come near me, it's like I'm not even there. No-one can hurt me anymore. I do better on my own."

Mary Margaret was horrified at the idea, imagining her child living on the streets in all kinds of weather, cold and hungry and alone. Her imagination was running rampant over the kinds of people about who could prey on her daughter. And hearing that Em _chose_ that life was extremely upsetting (it rivaled the thought of her being abused at the foster home). But Em's words rang with truth when she thought of her own grown-up Emma who had come to Storybrooke with the barest minimum of possessions, insisting that she preferred to be alone.

"But Em-" started Mary Margaret.

"She knows, don't you?" Em sent a nod over to her elder counterpart.

"Yes," agreed Emma cryptically. "But you will think differently one day."

"Adults always say that. Can you just tell me one thing?" asked Em seriously.

Emma nodded. "Don't worry, I got it back."

"Phew," sighed Em happily. "I can't wait to see it again."

"Emma?" asked Ri curiously, glancing from Em's face to her elder version's. "Why don't you smile much anymore?"

Emma opened her mouth as if to answer but no words came out so Regina answered her younger self's question instead.

"Sometimes things happen that take a person's happiness away," said Regina.

"Oh," said Ri sadly.

Em leaned over and pressed her forehead to Ri's temple causing her to giggle. "But there are ways of getting it back."

"Maybe you should try it?" Ri said shyly, looking across the table at their older selves.

* * *

Regina was sitting on the bed in Emma's bedroom abruptly jerked out of a deep thought when Emma came in. The blonde stuffed her hands in her jeans pockets and swayed a bit. They were alone since Regina had escaped into the bedroom to get away from the others in the small apartment for a while.

"So. That was only slightly horrifying," said Emma sarcastically.

"I'm sorry it was so distressing for you to hear," said Regina in a flat voice devoid of emotion.

Emma went to sit on the bed next to her causing Regina to narrow her eyes suspiciously at her.

"Regina," said Emma softly. "I'm sorry for what you had to go through. Listening to Ri was just - I can't even - I mean, hearing her talk about her wedding that way, like all she had to look forward to was wearing the dress... and it's worse because I know what's going to happen to her - what happened to you- "

"I don't want your pity," snapped Regina. "You do realise the same would likely would have been your fate too if not for me?"

"What?"

"You think because of your parents that True Love is easy and everyone has it? No. You are _lucky_ you didn't grow up there. The real world is not a fairytale but our home was certainly not a fairytale for everyone either. In marriage you'd have been a bargaining piece passed from father to husband in a political alliance - or worse - just like the rest of us."

Emma shrugged. "We can't know what it would've been like if things were different. If I'd grown up there with them I wouldn't even be the same person I am now."

"You're not even the same person you were ten years ago."

"And neither are you, Regina."

Emma paused, wondering how to go about asking something she'd noticed about Regina's interactions with her younger self.

"Why don't you talk properly to Ri?" said Emma. "She is you - sort of - but you practically ignore her sometimes."

"She's easy to overlook and it's not just me. Or are you trying to make some clever point about me 'ignoring my better self' or something? Because then I'd be inclined to say that you are fighting with yours since you're always verbally sparring with Em."

"That's cos Em's an idiot," muttered Emma.

"You don't even realise what you're saying do you? Em thinks that already and apparently you still think that way. She is you. Why is it that you think nobody would want to bother to get to know you?"

"Even my parents don't want to know me," admitted Emma quietly. "They don't really want to see it."

"It's because they're thinking of themselves and how painful it would be for _them_ to know the truth. Just like when they gave you away. They did that to save themselves and everyone else. They cursed _you_ to a lonely fate instead."

Emma glared at her coldly. "It's not going to work, Regina. Don't try to turn me against them. Whatever issues I have with my parents we'll work them out. We're family."

"Yes, because children always forgive their parents for their mistakes," said Regina sarcastically.

Suddenly, Emma snapped her eyes at the door realising Henry was standing there.

"Hey, kid. What's up?" said Emma lightly.

Henry twisted his mouth sideways and went over to sit in the gap between his two mothers. They were sitting close so there was barely enough room but he squished his little self between them anyway so the three of them were hip-to-hip-to-hip. Some of the conversation at lunch had gone over his head but he had noticed vast differences between the mothers he knew and the teens they used to be.

"You guys are really different now," said Henry.

"Yeah that's -" Emma shrugged. "Kid, that happens. People grow up - and yeah, we're not really them anymore. Em and Ri are just kids themselves, they're closer to your age than they are to ours."

"But-" Henry stopped himself.

"What is it, Henry?" said Regina gently.

"Em doesn't like me," he said. "Does that mean you don't like me, Emma? Are you just pretending?"

"No! Henry, of course not - I love you."

"But only cos you know I'm your son now?"

Emma opened her mouth and paused. A thousand intangible reasons for loving him crashed to forefront of her mind like a hundred-car pileup but there wasn't a single one she could put immediately into words.

"I don't get it, Mom," said Henry, turning to Regina now. "I thought you were only pretending. But you loved me all this time and I wasn't even really yours?"

Regina felt a pang at his words. "Henry, I love you. That's the truth. Maybe no-one else sees it the way I do, but you've always been mine. You've been my son since the day I got you."

"Kid, I know it's hard to understand but you're both of ours," said Emma. "You know why? Cos we both made you who you are. I gave birth to you and your Mom raised you... It's like this - Em would've been a different person if she'd been raised by Mary Margaret and David, and Ri changed after she went through some really bad stuff. There's lots of things that make us who we are. Does that make sense, kid?"

"Kinda," said Henry nodding. "But you guys aren't _that_ different now you know."

"What do you mean?" said Regina.

"Ri looks at me the same way you do, even though she doesn't even know... And Emma? You're kinda weird sometimes, just like Em."

Emma pressed her lips into a smile. "Yeah, kid. I know."

She was still smiling when she looked up and caught Regina looking at her too.

"Excuse me?" Ri's voice came in to interrupt their nonverbal tete-a-tete.

"Hey Ri, what's up?" said Emma.

"Can I have a glass of water please?"

Emma answered, trying not to be impatient with the shy girl. "Ri, it's ok. You don't have to ask permission. Just take it."

"Sorry. I would've asked Em but she's not here."

Emma snapped a look of alarm to Regina. "What do you mean she's not here?!"

"Oh, she just went out. She left a little while ago... she said she was going to try to find some kind of shop but I didn't understand the wording. Henry, do you remember?"

"Yup," Henry nodded. "She's gone to the pawn shop."


	8. Tornado

**Double Trouble **

**Chapter 8 'Tornado'**

Emma rushed into the living room with the Regina's and Henry following behind. She tried to locate her younger self with more than just her eyes but Em definitely wasn't in the apartment anymore. Emma looked at her parents, apparently none-the-wiser in the kitchen doing dishes. She knew that if Em had managed to access her magic she could've just walked right out and nobody would've even realised.

"Where is she?" said Emma to her parents, holding her hands out as if demanding answers.

"Who - Em?" said Mary Margaret frowning at them.

"Yes," stressed Emma impatiently. "Where is Em!"

"What are you talking about. She's right there-" David looked around.

Emma pressed her lips together sarcastically. "You let her go. How about next time you guys listen to me?! You have no idea do you. I told you not to let her out of your sight and you didn't take me seriously, you never do!"

"Emma, we'll find her-" said Mary Margaret gently.

"No. You won't," said Emma confidently. "Not if she doesn't want to be found. Luckily I'm better at it than she is."

Emma glanced at Regina and then they both went to get their coats. "Let's go."

"Emma, we'll come with you," said David hastily.

"No," said Emma firmly. "Stay here with Henry and Ri, we'll go after her. Em's gone to the pawn shop."

"She's gone to Mr Gold's?" said Mary Margaret.

"There's only one in town isn't there," said Emma.

Mary Margaret tilted her head. "Yes, but - there's no reason to think Gold will do anything to her... is there?"

Regina responded first, full of cold sarcasm. "Yes, of course. We should just let her go to the man who steals children and is magically immortal. What could possibly go wrong."

"We still don't know what will happen if anyone else finds out about the girls," explained Emma.

"Gold could tell her anything," added Regina.

Ri spoke up for once. "Is Em in danger? Can I go with you? I'm scared but I will do it."

"Me too!" Henry piped up, making a grab for Emma's jacket sleeve.

"No," said Emma, letting her head fall back in exasperation. "All of you - stay - put."

Regina simply held out her palm for Emma to place her hand in and then they disappeared into a rapid swirl of smoke.

* * *

Regina and Emma appeared magically outside Gold's shop. The door was hanging off its hinge and the air still crackled as if magic was everywhere.

The two of them stepped inside the shop cautiously and were shocked at the state of the place. It was _wrecked_.

The shop looked like a little tornado had exploded in there. All the glass counters had been shattered and they gaped like open mouths showing their broken teeth of treasures and nicknacks. Anything that had previously hung from the ceiling was now on the floor underfoot or laying haphazardly across the metal frame of the counter near the cash register - as in the case of the canoe.

"Yeah, nothing suspicious here," said Emma flatly.

"Emma Swan," said Gold, rising from behind the canoe with the help of his silver-tipped cane. "How lovely to see you. Again."

"What the hell happened here?" asked Emma.

"Why don't you tell me," said Gold in a low voice, piercing her with his sharp eyes.

"Look, it's a long story... Was she here?"

Gold gestured his usual flourishes with his hands as he spoke. "If you mean the young lady who came into my shop demanding I give her money then yes. Oh and she looked just like you... What did you do, Regina? Was it a magical fiend in disguise, is this your doing?"

"How did the shop get destroyed?" asked Regina, ignoring his question.

"Oh, it's nothing I can't fix." Gold waved lazily and the broken shop began repairing it's own damage and putting itself back in its chaotic order.

"Did she do this?" Regina pressed him again.

"Well I guess the answer to that depends on your perspective," said Gold.

Emma made a noise of frustration, losing patience with his doubletalk. "Enough with the riddles! Where is she now?"

"I don't know," said Gold honestly. "She said she had something to sell and that she needed money. She was rather upset, as you can see, but I don't think she expected me to defend myself with magic. Then she ran off... Now, _you_ tell me. Who is she?"

Emma thought for a second, wondering if she should even say anything and then decided that Gold might actually be useful since he knew plenty about magic. Or he could've been the perpetrator of the mischief in the first place, god only knows why, but he always did have schemes serving his own agendas in place.

"She's me," said Emma eventually. "From the past, we think."

"Are you sure?" said Gold pointedly.

"No, actually," admitted Emma. "Then it wasn't you? You had nothing to do with our teenage selves suddenly appearing in Storybrooke?"

Gold raised an eyebrow at Regina. "You're here too? Interesting."

"Yes, fascinating," Regina sneered. "You're not to go near her, understand?"

Gold shrugged mildly. "Afraid I'll corrupt you again, Regina? As I recall it was you who sought me out."

Luckily, Emma stopped her with a hand on her arm and held her back with a single whispered word.

"And what does young Henry think about all of this?" asked Gold, unfazed by Regina's threatening him. "Gaining some perspective about his mothers' pasts I assume? Unraveling your secrets thread by thread? Let's hope they don't strangle him."

"What do you mean," said Emma suspiciously.

Gold gave them an enigmatic smirk before turning to head for the back room of the shop.

"Let me know how things turn out," said Gold off-hand.

* * *

Em sat in the corner of the last booth in the diner, staring morosely at the empty table in front of her. A pair of expensive Prada pumps sat on the seat next to her. She tapped a finger on the table while she tried to think and figure out what to do. She had to get money somehow.

"Hey, Emma! What can I get you?"

Em looked up at the cheery voice to see the friendly face of the tall brunette waitress she'd noticed before. She had bright red lipstick, red streaks in her hair, and red accessories. The girl was pretty cute, Em decided, and she was wearing... not very much.

"Uh, you know me?"

"Yeah, of course," said the waitress in a duh voice. She was looking down at her and waiting to take her order.

"Um, can I get my usual? And put it on my tab?" Em tried casually.

"Sure." The hot waitress smiled and then disappeared.

It wasn't long before she came back with a mug of hot chocolate topped with whip and cinnamon and a basket of fries. She put the order on the table but instead of leaving she sat down in the booth across from Em and gave her a look.

"Ok spill," said Ruby, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows. "What's going on, Emma?"

"Uh nothing, um-"

"Ruby. I'm Ruby... and you are not Emma."

Emma smiled humourlessly, realising she was caught out. "You're friends with Sheriff Crankypants? Great."

"That's an interesting name for her," said Ruby, trying not to laugh.

"I guess. I am her - kinda - just 17 years old." Em scrunched her face and propped her chin on her wrist.

Ruby had of course noticed the differences between this Emma and the one she knew. She was definitely much younger, obviously thinner, and she was wearing thick black plastic-rimmed glasses on her baby-face.

"Aw, you are so adorable, Baby Emma! I can't believe you grow up to be our Emma the badass Sheriff," teased Ruby.

"Yeah." Em blew out a breath between her lips. "Can't believe someone put me in charge of anything, let alone the law."

Ruby nodded sagely. "Emma's pretty cool. She's done a lot for this town. Everybody knows she can be trusted."

"So she's not running jobs on the side or taking bribes, nothing like that? She really is as straight as she seems?"

Ruby hid a snort.

"And what about Regina? She and Emma aren't together then?"

Ruby's eyebrows nearly hit her hairline. "Regina?... as in Regina Mills, _the Mayor _Regina?"

Em was surprised by that. "Regina grows up to be Mayor here? Wow. Guess she gets over her fear of people and you know, everything."

Em pondered it with a little hint of pride. Maybe Ri really would grow up to be the apparently self-assured Regina after all. Knowing Ri as well as she did already, she could see a lot of her in her older self sometimes. Something like vulnerability and depth of emotion but way better hidden. It was easy to overlook Ri because she was so quiet and placid but she was even more sensitive than she showed. She felt things very deeply or not at all.

"But they were never together...?" said Em, moving her head slowly side-to-side.

"Not that I know of," answered Ruby with a shrug.

Ruby pushed the fries towards the blonde teen. "Eat up, Baby Emma. Ya look like you need it."

"Not hungry," mumbled Em.

The door to the diner jangled suddenly and revealed Regina and Emma, who scanned the diner's occupants quickly before heading straight over to the back where Em and Ruby were sitting.

"Em, you can't just run off-" said Emma.

"Whatrya gonna do, Sheriff - arrest me again?" said Em in a dull tone, picking up a fry and eyeing it.

"Em, we were worried about you," said Regina. "This town isn't safe, it's-"

Em interrupted her worrywart-ing. "Seriously, Emma. All your friends are hot and you're not banging any of them? Life sux when you're a kid and it still sucks when you're an adult."

Emma rolled her eyes lightly. "Yes, you can't sleep with whoever you want … and there's bills."

Ruby nodded ruefully. "Not to mention-"

"_RUBY?! Get in here!"_

"-work".

Ruby sighed at Granny's summons from the kitchen, sorry she was going to miss out on whatever was going on. "Speaking of sucky adult life, I better get back to work. I'll leave you guys to it, let me know if you want anything else, Baby Emma."

Once Ruby reluctantly sauntered away to the kitchen, Regina sat next to Em in the booth and Emma took the seat across from them.

"Em, what happened at Gold's?" said Regina.

Em shrugged. "Dude's a jerk."

Emma gave her younger self a warning look. "Em, he's not what he seems. He's dangerous. Don't mess with him alright?"

"Yeah yeah. I wasn't going to, it just happened."

"Were you trying to sell these?" Regina raised her hand where the backs of a pair of high-heels dangled from her fingertips.

Em shrank in shame from her. "Sorry."

"It's ok," said Regina softly. "If you needed something you could've just asked?"

"I shouldn't have taken them from you."

Regina's lips twitched a smile. "It's alright, Em. I don't like this pair anyway."

"You're lying," said Em, with a weak smile.

"You so are," agreed Emma. "You wear those all the time, Regina."

Em raised her eyebrows at Emma and chuckled under her breath. "Ha. Gotcha, Sheriff."

Regina paused to give Emma a look of annoyance and then turned to Em again. "What did you want the money for?"

Em looked down pitifully, like she was about to cry. "My back hurts real bad. I think I need medicine."

"It's infected," said Emma. Obviously it wasn't really a guess.

Em was sitting forward on the edge of the seat so that her back wasn't anywhere near touching the rest behind her. Regina gently pulled Em's shirt up and looked at her lower back where some of the angry red graze could be seen. It was looking rather painful and yellowish in deeper parts of the wounds. She would need antibiotics or cream at the very least.

"You could've told me," said Regina gently.

Em shrugged. "Didn't think to."

"Alright. We're going to the hospital," said Emma with a sigh.

"Nooo," moaned Em.

"Family doctor then," suggested Regina. "I'll take you where I take Henry."

Emma reached over and grabbed a couple fries and dipped them in the hot chocolate before popping the soggy potato strips in her mouth. Em saw it as a challenge upon her territory so she immediately did the same thing and started stuffing chocolate-y fries into her mouth. Regina just shook her head at both of them in disgust.

"Come on," said Emma, getting up out of the booth. "Let's go. Bring your food with you, troublemaker."

* * *

"David, what are we supposed to do about this?" demanded Mary Margaret.

"I don't know, Mary Margaret," he groaned. "What do you want to do about it? We can't just lock the girls up and force Emma and Regina apart. They're adults-"

"Yes! But this doesn't only affect them. It affects all of us. Storybrooke. The whole town. If we let them be together and mess up the past..."

"We don't know what could happen, yeah, but that doesn't mean we can pick and choose which parts to change or not to change."

"So your solution is to do nothing?" Mary Margaret gave him an incredulous face.

Ri shrank nervously and stood a little away from them. She wanted to tell them not to argue about her and Em anymore. It upset her to hear that she and Em weren't supposed to be together. She really didn't want to make any trouble so she was going to back away quietly when they noticed her standing there.

"Ri, honey, do you want something?" said Mary Margaret, finally glancing at her.

"Oh, nothing. I'm sorry," Ri looked at the floor and went off to find Henry. "I just wanted something to read until Em gets back."

But she mumbled and left so quietly that the others overlooked what she'd said and picked up their argument right where they'd left off.

"David, we can't just do nothing," Mary Margaret went on. "You really think we should just let Regina take our daughter away from us?! _Both_ of her!"

David sighed roughly and pointed to where Ri had been standing. "You're just upset because of what _she_ said."

"Of course I'm upset," Mary Margaret dropped her voice to a harsh whisper bordering on hysterical. "Do you think I like hearing what my father did to her?! That it was my fault, and if it wasn't for me none of this would have even happened?"

"We're going round and round in circles arguing over this. It's driving me crazy. Who the hell knows what things would've been like if Daniel hadn't died. You and me might never have met and then Emma wouldn't have even been born. We just don't know." David shrugged helplessly.

"Emma was right," Mary Margaret said sorrowfully. "We don't even know her. She's my daughter and she doesn't trust me!"

Mary Margaret dropped her face into her hands and David went over to her to draw her into a hug...

In the bedroom, Ri peered over Henry's shoulder as he tapped away at the laptop in front of him. The screen showed a lot of funny numbers and symbols in lines and pictures of circles.

"Henry?"

"Mm."

"Do you want to play a game?"

"Maybe later."

"Ok. Can I borrow something to read then?" asked Ri hopefully.

Henry shrugged with his back to her without taking his eyes off the screen. "Sure."

Ri looked around the bedroom and picked up the only book she could find. It was rather heavy and bound in old-fashioned leather and gold leafing. She decided to go outside for a bit of peace while she waited for things to calm down in the apartment. Even though she didn't have concealment magic like Em, they didn't even notice her leaving. On her way down the stairs, she accidentally dropped the book and it fell open on the ground and what she saw made her heart jump into her throat.

It was a picture of her.


	9. Regret

**Double Trouble**

**A/N: I felt like posting early. Enjoy :). Thanks for the support and encouraging reviews, I appreciate it!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 9 'Regret'**

Emma and Regina took Em to the family medical practice where the waiting room was rather packed. They did get a lot of curious stares. Seeing the former Mayor and the Sheriff together was weird enough not to mention the Sheriff's apparent identical twin trailing behind them.

Emma flashed her badge at the receptionist and requested/demanded the next available appointment and then she and Regina went to find chairs as far as possible from anyone else.

Em wandered over to the toys with no interest at first but once she saw she had a full waiting room as an audience she put on a show of exaggerated childishness and sat in one of the tiny plastic kiddie chairs to flick through a picture book.

"I see your maturity has maintained a steady level for ten years," said Regina to the woman at her side.

"I know you are but what am I," said Emma, to cover her annoyance at the jibe.

"What does that mean?" said Regina with a blank face.

Emma huffed, realising that Regina genuinely hadn't heard that childish expression before. "Never mind."

After a while, Emma decided to use the fact that Regina was trapped 'alone' with her to her advantage. With everything that had happened since the curse broke she hadn't had much opportunity to call Regina out for what she'd done and all the dodgy shit she'd pulled against her last year. It was still somewhat unbelievable to reconcile the power-tripping Mayor she'd known with the deadly Evil Queen from the story. She'd known one and everybody else had known the other. Was she right about knowing who Regina really was?

"So. Are you sorry you cast the curse?" Emma asked casually, as if talking about the weather instead of realm-destroying dark magic.

"No."

Emma couldn't hide her surprise. "That's it? Just 'no'... not 'sorry for ruining your life, Emma' or 'sorry for ruining everyone's happiness'? I can tell you're not lying, but what I want to know is why."

"If I hadn't cast the curse and you hadn't gone through the wardrobe then we wouldn't have Henry now. I can't regret him and he's tied to the rest of it. If it weren't for your escape you'd still be less than one day old. It was your birthday for 28 years in Storybrooke until you showed up and time caught up again. I've had enough of living that day."

"You're not sorry the curse is broken then?" said Emma, narrowing her eyes.

"You turning up was the most interesting thing that ever happened here," said Regina wryly. "Otherwise, I'd have just killed you a long time ago."

"Well, thanks for holding back on that I guess... for a while anyway. But I'm seriously never eating anything you make ever again."

Regina said quietly, "You should know that I was coming for you. I separated your family but I wasn't going to leave you alone here."

Emma looked at her suspiciously. "And what were you intending to do with baby me?"

Regina shrugged. "You'd have made a nice doorstop."

Emma gave her a sarcastic face and crossed her arms in annoyance, preferring to wait in silence after that.

Em got bored and wandered over to sit with them, impatiently swinging her knees side-to-side. It wasn't long before Em was called to go in but her usual brave face faltered and she looked at Emma and Regina.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" offered Regina.

Em shook her head at her and then looked hesitantly at her older self. "Emma?"

Emma wasn't as surprised as you'd think that Em had requested her to accompany her into the doctor's examination. After all, each of them knew what they'd had been through. Em was embarrassed enough without having to explain everything in front of someone she liked and was attracted to.

Emma got up to follow Em, but before she went she grabbed a magazine off the table and plopped it on Regina's lap. "Here. Lots of clothes in this one."

* * *

Mary Margaret and David had finally calmed down enough after their fight to notice Ri's absence. When she realised, Mary Margaret felt a cold dread trickle through her and she started muttering under her breath remonstrating herself and David for their carelessness.

"I didn't notice she left," admitted David with chagrin.

"You know what?" Mary Margaret said suddenly. "We would've been terrible parents, we can't even keep an eye on two teenagers let alone-"

"They're not toddlers who are gonna walk off a cliff or poke knives in power points-"

"David, how could we let this happen? We lost Ri as well! Emma is going to snap when she gets home."

"Yes, probably." David sighed. "Look, we'll find her. She's not street-wise like Em, she probably hasn't gone far."

David was right. The last time she'd ran off Ri had gotten two feet from the one place she knew... this time she'd made it three feet. She was sitting on the edge of the kerb with a large book laid open across her lap.

Mary Margaret recognised it immediately as the book of fairytales she'd given to Henry more than a year ago and she was tempted to snatch it out of the girl's hands before any more damage could be done.

"Ri, honey, w-what are you reading? That's probably a bit young for you, do you want something else?" Mary Margaret nudged her husband in the ribs.

"Uh yeah," said David uneasily. "Pinnochio's not even a very good fairytale... It's the um boringest one."

"That's not a word," said Ri quietly.

Ri swivelled her upper body around and her face was wet with tears. She looked utterly devastated. She held up the book so they could see an illustration of the Evil Queen casting the dark curse.

"It fell open at this page. I thought the picture might be my mother doing magic, they say I look just like she did when she was my age... But it's not, is it?"

Ri took in a shaky breath and sniffled wetly. "She's me and this is my story."

Mary Margaret and David realised there was no point denying it and trying to tell her that it wasn't real, that they were just stories. She was a smart girl, though naive, and she would make the connections easily - she could hardly have missed noticing that everyone including her older self was living in Storybrooke instead of the Enchanted Forest... and now she knew that it was her own doing. She knew the truth, at least partially, of what she would grow up to become.

"It's me, isn't it!" Ri cried desperately.

"Yes, it is Regina's story," said Mary Margaret softly.

"Why would I do this? I hate magic. It makes me feel awful."

Ri swiped at the tears now falling fast down her cheeks and her chest started to heave with tiny sobs.

"Is this why everyone hates me?"

"No-one hates you Ri-" started David.

"Yes you do," wailed Ri. "Don't lie! I can see that you hate Regina. Even Emma hates her. I guess Mother is right, no-one will ever love me as much as she does."

Mary Margaret gave her a gentle sympathetic look. "Your mother didn't treat you very well, Ri. She hurt you. She never let you be yourself-"

Ri frowned crossly. "And who is it that I am? I don't even know so how would anybody else. Everyone ignores me all the time... Why didn't anyone try to help me? Didn't I try to find another way? _Why?_"

"You must've felt like you had to do it." David suggested, trying not to be so harsh as to say what he'd really thought of Regina's actions.

"But there's always a choice isn't there?" said Ri despondently, with only the appearance of hope. "Can't I choose to be good again? Would you believe me if I said I'd try?"

"I'm so sorry, Ri." Mary Margaret was near tears herself. She was only glad that Ri hadn't seemed to connect her with being Snow White... this was bad enough.

"My mother and father always tell me to be good and I try really hard but it's never enough. I still get in trouble and Mother just gives me that heartless look and tells me to grow up. What can I do? I don't even know what to do anymore."

* * *

After the doctor's appointment, Emma and Regina stopped by the pharmacy on the way back so they could fill the prescription for Em's antibiotics. Em was a real pain in the ass though, she followed them down the aisles picking up random products and tossing them into the basket Emma held. Emma rolled her eyes and put each unwanted item back on the shelf as they went, trying not to give her younger self the satisfaction of seeing how annoying she was.

Em grabbed a bottle of vitamins out of Emma's basket and looked at the unfamiliar name. "Folate. Iron. What'sat for?"

Emma tightened her jaw and grabbed the bottle back. "You're malnourished. It's for building healthy cells."... _of a baby, _she finished in her head.

Em shrugged, happy with that explanation, but it was Regina who sent a sharp questioning look at Emma.

Emma couldn't elaborate with Em in earshot though. She intended to ensure that if Em went back to the past then she would be healthy enough to fall pregnant. She considered it a small amount of messing with the past - surely Em being _healthier_ wouldn't affect Henry's existence adversely? Em was definitely underweight, in fact, she was even thinner than Emma remembered herself being at that age and unhealthy enough to make her astonished now that she'd fallen pregnant in the first place. She was sure that Regina hadn't missed noticing that either.

They headed to the line at the counter to pay.

"Em! Put it in the basket," chastised Emma, finally losing patience with her younger self.

Em shrugged defensively. "What?! You put the stuff back didn't you."

"I mean whatever you've got stuffed in your jacket. Give it here so I can pay for it. How do you think this looks, I'm the Sheriff for god's sake."

"Since when do I care what people think," Em grumbled and handed over a bunch of lollipops and candy bars and a roll of bandages.

Regina frowned at the thin-width bandages. "What do you want that for? That won't be any good for your back."

"Oh god." Emma groaned, and threw the roll away under the shelves angrily. "You don't want to know. Let's go. Now."

* * *

Mary Margaret and David were sitting at the dining table feeling rather useless. They'd tried to talk to Ri and explain things and help her understand but eventually she just closed her eyes and stopped them with a weary hand. So they'd brought her back upstairs and now she was just sitting on the couch depressed, thinking to herself.

Ri was going over and over it in her mind. She couldn't figure it out. She couldn't process the enormity of it all and it was overwhelming her to think about how many people Regina had hurt and how much damage she'd caused in the name of vengeance. She couldn't even imagine herself doing these things. She knew that it must be true, though she still hovered somewhere between denial and acceptance of the horrifying truth.

Was she evil already? Was it already in her? She hadn't done the deeds yet but maybe she was born ready for them. Ready to be molded and shaped into the monster that she would one day become. Could she stop it or was it inevitable? Wasn't there always a choice?

People died and it was Regina's fault. Or was it? The story didn't say for sure. Had she been coerced onto the path, forced deeper and deeper, pulled in by the rip tide of magic like she was caught in the undertow? If that wasn't it then she must have let it happen. The claws of magic had become stuck in her skin, they'd pulled her under the surface and every time she rose up for air she was sucked below again. She'd been drowning in grief and _this_ had seemed like the only option for the rest of her life?

_It must be why Regina is the way she is._ And then Ri realised, _yes of course that's why._ Her older self had even hinted at it during the lunchtime conversation.

_No wonder they are so cold to Regina, she has hurt them badly_, Ri thought. _This must be what stops Emma from being with her... maybe? _

_I become someone who is not to be trusted. Like a snake lying in wait to hurt others. I cannot be loved because it is too dangerous. They are right to hate me. I'd hate myself. I deserve no-one. If Em found out she would turn away in disgust -_

"Hey, Ri," said Henry, cracking her thoughts like an eggshell. He gave her his cute little lopsided smile and plopped onto the couch next to her.

"Hi Henry," she said softly.

Henry leaned his head against the couch to look at her. "You look sad, Ri."

"It's nothing."

"You look just like her."

"My mother," said Ri in a dull voice.

"No," said Henry. "Yourself. The grownup one. You look just like her right now."

But that just made Ri feel worse. She held back a sob and the tears that threatened to burst out of her chest. She was sick of crying, she'd cried so much already.

"When I was little and I cried my Mom would always give me a hug."

Henry placed his little arms around Ri and pulled her into a hug. Ri wanted to send the child away from her as though he'd be ruined by her touch, but it was too hard and she held fast on to his narrow bony shoulders like he was a lifebelt holding her afloat.

"You're a sweet boy, Henry. Emma is lucky to have you, your mother must love you so much."

"She does," agreed Henry.

* * *

Later that evening when the others got home Em went straight to Ri with a huge smile and held her. Ri's arms wrapped around Em's back a little tightly but the pain didn't even register when weighed up against the comfort of holding her girlfriend again. Even though they were far from alone in the apartment the world felt like it contained only themselves for those moments.

"I missed you, princess!" said Em.

Ri smiled weakly. "It's only been a few hours, Em."

"Hours. Weeks. Years. It's all the same when I'm not with you," said Em sweetly.

Ri shied a little under the kind treatment. "I missed you too, Em. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't see you for years. I hope I don't have to find out. For everyone's sakes."

Em looked at Ri in concern. "Ri? Did something happen?"

"Not yet."

"Huh? Ri, you look kinda down. Is something wrong?"

Ri shook her head and hid from her eyes. "Just - hold me? Don't leave me, please?"

Em wrapped her arms around her again. She wasn't sure where this sudden clinginess had come from but she was eager to do whatever it took to bring the light back to Ri's face. She was sorry now that she'd left her alone. Something was clearly bothering her and though she never specifically asked for help she was gonna get it, Em decided.

"Nothing could ever make me want to leave you, Ri."

Em's words were comforting but for the rest of their time in Storybrooke the light in Ri's eyes would always be a little dimmed.


	10. Alone

**Double Trouble 10**

**A/N: Hi lovely readers! Thanks for the great reviews, you guys keep me motivated and I've really needed it this week. I didn't like the finale much. Enjoy :)**

* * *

'**Alone'**

"What's up with Ri?" said Emma in a whisper to her mother.

They were in the kitchen getting breakfast for the others. Regina was having plenty of fun brandishing knives to cut up fruit in Mary Margaret's presence and making a show of peeling apples deftly. She was delighted by every flinch she caused.

The night before, Regina had created her bed-magic for the girls again and slept in Emma's bedroom by herself - in a bed that Mary Margaret and David had had sex in actually, Emma thought with a grimace, knowing that Regina would probably incinerate it (and them) if she knew.

Emma was perplexed that she even stayed at all. She could've easily gone home at any time, even if it was just to sleep at night. She figured Regina must have something keeping her there - most likely it was to take any opportunity to be near Henry, even if he didn't go near her much. Perhaps she also wanted to keep an eye on her younger self and Em - she seemed reluctant to allow Emma and her parents complete control over the girls.

Even with four adults to supervise they were having enough trouble looking after the teens. Although to be quite fair, Em was responsible for the lion's share of it.

Emma felt something a bit like ownership over her younger self. It was strange because although she _was_ Em once she couldn't control her now as if she were a literal part of her. She knew what her younger self was thinking most of the time and she knew the motivations behind her actions instantly... but she'd been Em so long ago that she'd almost forgotten what it actually _felt_ like to be her. That version of her had faded gradually until she'd become the person Emma was now.

Emma wondered if Regina felt the same way about Ri, which reminded her... Ri looked a lot like her older self this morning. She looked haunted.

"Why does Ri look like she's gonna fling herself off a cliff?" whispered Emma worriedly.

Mary Margaret sighed, keeping her voice low so the kids in the living room couldn't hear. "She found the book."

Regina paused in the middle of slicing an orange.

Emma was horrified and she hissed back at her mother. "Henry's book?!"

"Yes. She knows Regina was the Evil Queen and cast the curse."

"Does she know about-" the name evaporated in Regina's mouth, leaving a feeling like dry sand there.

Mary Margaret raised a shoulder. "I'm not sure. She didn't want to talk about it so we don't know how much of the story she's actually put together."

Emma glanced over at Ri who was sitting and 'talking' with the others but she was very subdued, even quieter than usual.

"She looks _destroyed_," said Emma in annoyance. "How could you let her find out, Mary Margaret? She's not gonna trust anyone ever again after this."

Mary Margaret shook her head sadly. "We tried to talk to her about it but she clammed up..."

Emma gave Regina an expectant look. "Regina. Aren't you gonna say something... or I dunno, react? You should have some insight here."

"What do you want me to say."

"Ri finding out all that stuff ... it's bad for everyone! It's going to change how she acts if she goes back. She's not supposed to know about all of that."

"Your parents were supposed to be watching her," said Regina evenly.

"I know. I'm sorry," said Mary Margaret contritely.

"Yes dear, I'm sure you are. It seems you're never through with accidentally ruining my life are you."

"Regina," Mary Margaret moaned.

"Do you think apologising makes it better? That things are undone because you are sorry after the fact for doing them? Ask _me_ if that's true. Ri hasn't even done anything yet and she already knows it."

"You have to talk to her, Regina," said Emma, shaking her head. "You have to help her understand why you did it."

"I can't do that," said Regina flatly. "She'll be fine."

"She is not fine," emphasized Emma. "This could change everything."

Regina's face tightened. "If she's pure evil then she will do it all over again even if she does know... So there's nothing to worry about is there?"

She grabbed the bowls of fruit with a jerk and then went over to the table.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Em kept trying her hardest to cheer Ri up. But she had retreated into herself and even Em's crazy antics and jokes couldn't cut through it.

Ri kept stealing glances at her older self and then quickly looking away when she got caught multiple times. Regina hardly spoke to her so Ri didn't feel comfortable enough to talk to her or ask any of the thousands of questions that were swarming in her head. She wanted to know if she'd get through it one day but examining her older self told her that maybe there was no light at the end of all this.

Regina seemed to be completely alone. Ri hadn't realised at first since she was always with the others but they never acted like she was one of them or accepted. It made her wonder why Regina was even there. If Emma and her parents hated her then why be around them?

Where was Regina's family? She mustn't have any, Ri realised with a painful jolt that sickened her stomach. She'd finally guessed without having to ask why her parents weren't in Storybrooke. Mother and Father always being in her life was something she'd taken for granted. She didn't seem to have a family of her own either - if she did, where were they? _Does this mean I never get to be with someone I love? Or have children?_

_I'm going to be alone._

And then there was Emma. She and Regina weren't together. Em said nothing would make her leave. _But when she grows up she doesn't want to be with me. Did she change, or did I? What happened to us?_

"Hey, Ri," said Emma kindly, breaking her reverie.

"Hi."

"I want you to come with me."

Ri got up to follow Emma to the door obediently. "Oh. Are you taking me back."

"Back where?"

"That place with the bars. To lock me up."

Emma's heart almost broke. "No, Ri. Of course not."

Emma grabbed her own coat and got Mary Margaret's for Ri to put on so they could go outside. Emma's strategy for handling Ri was rather different from Em's - she was imagining that she was Regina instead of Ri and how she would try to help her. Well, provided that inaccessible Regina would ever accept help from her or let her in. They strolled the sidewalk outside, taking in the quiet Sunday afternoon stillness and Ri spoke up on her own.

"Am I evil?"

Emma pressed her lips into a small sigh. "Ri, there's a difference between that and doing bad things. I won't lie, Regina has done some terrible stuff but there's more to it than just what's on the surface ok?"

"I don't understand it."

"I'm not sure I do either," admitted Emma. "But there's a lot that makes us who we are. And there's a lot of reasons for why we act in certain ways. You might not believe that you'd do these things... but maybe she couldn't see another way. Maybe she felt like she had no choice. And nobody was there to save her..."

"Her life must've been bad. Or maybe it's her that's bad. Is she still like that, Emma?"

Emma stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Can I tell you something, Ri?"

"Yes?"

"I let her down. A little while ago she said she was trying to change... but I didn't believe her. And after I realised, it was too late. I had a chance to change things for her and I missed it."

"Can't you offer it again?" said Ri hopefully. "I'd take it. I really would. And she's me so maybe she still wants the same thing?"

"I know what she wants," Emma admitted.

"She doesn't want to be alone."

Emma nodded and gave her a thin smile. "I've tried that too."

"Emma, please," begged Ri. "I need to know why you don't want to be with her. I'm afraid I'm going to lose Em. I need to know why she's lost you."

"Ri, she didn't lose me. She pushed me away," said Emma quietly.

"Oh," Ri furrowed a brow. "Well, she won't be able to do that forever..."

* * *

When Emma got back to the apartment with a slightly less depressed-looking Ri, Regina was immediately suspicious. She and Emma shared a conspiracy between them to save the girls without the others knowing but they weren't supposed to just tell the teens everything either.

Regina cornered Emma at the first opportunity, pulling her by the sleeve of her sweater away from the others.

"What did you tell her?" demanded Regina.

"What she needed to hear."

"I suppose you elaborated on my long list of transgressions against you and your family."

"Yes, that's exactly what I did, Regina," said Emma sarcastically, gesturing at Ri who managed to give a small smile to Henry chattering away at her. "That's why she's even worse now."

"What part of 'lets save the girls' is letting her find out she's evil in the first place?"

Emma glanced around uncomfortably to see if they were being overheard. She leaned in closer and lowered her voice.

"Withholding the truth from her isn't going to save her. Having someone give her another chance will."

"And that's what you think you're doing? Deigning to give me another chance from the lofty heights of your perfection?"

"No, but I think you should give _yourself_ another chance. Ri wants to be good. Have you forgotten what it's like to be her?"

"No," snapped Regina.

"Then show me I can trust you. I'm sorry about what happened with Archie, I was wrong but you didn't make it easy for me-"

Regina's eyes flashed with anger. "Excuse me, Sheriff, isn't it your job to prove guilt rather than mine to prove innocence?"

Emma felt the barb hit its target but it still annoyed her. "Ok I get it! I can't take that back now, but we're getting nowhere trying to shuffle the blame between us. I understand why you went back to Cora but you are still dangerous. I want to trust you but I can't do that when you're threatening Mary Margaret every five seconds. I have to think of my family."

"I've had ample opportunity to kill her. What does that tell you," Regina pointed out sarcastically.

"Only because if you do it you know you'll lose Henry for good."

"I have only had Henry for _ten years_," said Regina, getting weary of having to defend even her non-actions.

The story said the Evil Queen had cast the curse to come to a new land where it was possible to cause harm to Snow White and yet, she hadn't done it. She'd lived in Storybrooke for years without exacting the very revenge that had motivated her to creating the town. _Why?_ It was a long time before she adopted Henry. The Mayor was by no means benevolent but neither was she unchanged by casting the curse and raising a child. With revenge off the table, maybe Regina really wouldn't attack unless she was threatened... which is exactly what happened when Emma turned up in Storybrooke.

"Fine," said Emma with a heavy sigh.

"So what _is _your plan for saving them?" asked Regina.

"Uh, I don't really have one? We still don't know where they came from or why they're here. Even if we had to send them back right now... how would we?"

Regina's eyebrow furrowed as the paradox occurred to her. "Something must happen ... or maybe it's that they don't go back - if they are from the past."

"Why not?"

"Because, Emma, do you remember any of this happening? I mean, do you remember being Em and coming to Storybrooke."

"No. What does that mean?" said Emma, confused.

Regina explained impatiently. "It means they don't go back to the past the way they are. Otherwise both of us would have memories of all of this already happening."

"So what do we do about them then?"

They both looked to their younger selves who were holding hands and smiling happily at each other, oblivious to the trouble they caused.

"Why do you think they took to each other so quickly," said Regina, folding her arms across herself.

Emma shrugged self-consciously, feeling all the awkwardness of the comparison between the younger girls' romance and their own relationship. "I dunno. They're teenagers."

"Yes, but - " Regina broke off.

"Maybe they're us - like we would've been - before life got in the way. Maybe even like we could be if things were different."

Regina shook her head almost imperceptibly. "There's no us, Emma."

"You're right," said Emma in a flat tone. "There definitely isn't."


	11. Medicine

**Double Trouble 11**

'**Medicine'**

When Emma and David got to the apartment after work the next afternoon, Mary Margaret and Henry were home from school already. Despite everything that had been going on Emma still had to go to work to keep Storybrooke running crime-free and she'd made Henry go to school as well... but not without a bit of uncertainty the night before about whether he actually had to go or not.

"_I don't want to go to school tomorrow," whined Henry. "I'll miss all the cool stuff that's going on. I wanna stay with Em and Ri."_

"_Henry, you are going to school," said Emma firmly. "You can't cut because you don't wanna go."_

_In the background Em guffawed and sang loudly, "The Sheriff's a hyp-o-crite! The Sheriff's a hyp-o-crite..."_

"_See! Emma, you didn't go," said Henry stubbornly._

"_Henry. I am so done arguing about this! You are going to school. Regina, back me up."_

_Regina barely lifted her eyes from the newspaper she was reading. "He doesn't have to go."_

_Emma's jaw dropped in shock and then she pinned a glare on her. She was completely screwed now by Regina's surprising about-face from her 'strict Mom' role. Doing the responsible parent thing would earn her Henry's wrath but siding with Regina would only let the brunette win at whatever game she was playing. Henry too was torn, his allegiance was firmly placed with Emma usually but he was tempted to go along with his Mom for once ... and that would mean admitting that she could still tell him what to do._

_Em chuckled evilly, recognising what was going on. "Epic troll move."_

_Emma glared at Henry. "You are going, kid. End of story."_

_Henry stomped away to find his backpack and school things._

"_I hope the taste is to your liking, Emma," said Regina breezily._

"_What."_

"_Your own medicine. It's not as much fun when you're the one being undermined at every turn now is it..."_

With the others at work or at school it'd fallen to Regina to take care of the girls for the day. Emma was hesitant to allow it but admitted reluctantly that she and Regina both had an equal claim over the girls and what happened to them. The upshot was that the Girl Most Likely to Cause Trouble was also most likely to obey Regina over any of the other adults.

Not that Em ever let anything stop her if she was really motivated.

Em was pretty excited about losing the cops for the day, figuring that Regina would let her do whatever she wanted and that she'd get to spend plenty of time with Ri. She was partially right, Regina had taken them out and shown them around Storybrooke after Em complained at breakfast about being "stuck inside in the stupid apartment for days. Can't we go somewhere...?"

_That morning, Emma had just been walking out the door when she'd heard Em ask if Regina was going to go to work too, obviously angling for zero supervision._

"_Aren't you the Mayor?" asked Em._

_Emma scoffed "No" before she could answer. "You can't just declare yourself the Mayor again, Regina."_

"_Haha, isn't the Mayor usually the boss of the Sheriff?" teased Em. "Kinky."_

_Emma ignored the comment. "She is not the Mayor any more. Someone else took over, admittedly he's been doing a crap job of it but at least he's not framing people for murders they didn't commit."_

"_Bet he doesn't look as good in a skirt either, eh Sheriff?" said Em, licking her spoon with a smack of the lips._

By the end of the day, Emma was relieved that she hadn't been called to go arrest her younger self for stealing or vandalising or who-knows-what else. Walking in the door that evening, she immediately located the teens in the apartment with her eyes. Regina had brought them back after all and they didn't appear to have gotten into any trouble. Emma relaxed in relief that her gamble hadn't backfired... and then she noticed what Em was wearing.

"Where did she get _that_," demanded Emma.

"I didn't buy it for her," said Regina quickly.

"Then she stole it," Emma concluded, narrowing her eyes.

Em piped up indignantly at the accusation. "Hey, po-po, I did _not_ steal it ok? The guy at the music store gave it to me for free, same as the sunnies and a bunch of CDs. I think he liked me."

Em was wearing aviator sunglasses (to shield her eyes from the bright sun indoors perhaps?) and a black t-shirt with huge white block letters that said: FUCK THE POLICE.

Emma was not amused. She went straight over to Em and grabbed the hem and yanked the shirt right over her head in front of everyone.

"Hey! What the hell!" said Em angrily.

"You are not wearing that," Emma snapped and threw the shirt at Em's chest. "Inside-out or not at all. There's a kid in the house. Not to mention it's offensive."

"Whatever," Em grumbled and sloped away to get sympathy from Ri. She of course made sure that Ri noticed her taut bare midriff before replacing her shirt.

Emma set her face into a frown and headed for Mary Margaret in the kitchen. "You can tell her off you know."

Mary Margaret cringed. "I don't know what to say to her. She's already so angry-"

Emma rolled her eyes lightly in aggravation. "You can't just let her do whatever she wants because you're guilty. Geez, I'd have walked all over you... in fact, _I am!_"

Regina placed a ready cup of hot chocolate in front of Emma who picked it up automatically, hardly noticing who'd made it.

* * *

"I'm going to get evicted!" Mary Margaret groaned, raising her voice above the din of the music in her small apartment. They wouldn't be able to hear the neighbours banging on the walls in anger over the loud volume.

"What are they listening to?" said David almost at a yell. "It sounds like-"

"A garbage compactor," said Regina, rolling her eyes.

"It's Knife Party," Emma muttered.

"_What_ party?" cried Mary Margaret.

Em and Ri were on the couch with their feet up on the coffee table near where Emma's iPod dock was sitting. It was blaring music with a heavy bass beat nearly at full volume. Em had her aviator sunnies on again, even though it was dark, and she had her arm draped around Ri's shoulder girlfriend-at-the-movies style. Every time one of the adults had told her to turn it down the music had gotten louder as if by itself. So they'd stopped asking for the sake of their eardrums.

"This music sounds strange, Em," said Ri, almost having to yell over the music.

Em tipped her sunnies up and brightened with an idea. "Hey! I know what'll cheer you up. Let's dance!"

"Em, I don't know how to dance to this. I don't think the steps I know would go with it."

Em jumped up and pulled Ri with her. "Come on, you must know how to dance, princess?"

"Oh yes." Ri blushed. "Mother had a dancing and singing master come to the estate."

Em was intrigued. "Show me."

Ri smiled self-consciously. "No, Em-"

"Yes! Come on, come on, come on..."

Ri tucked her hair behind her ear, mentally getting ready to start. "Ok. This is my favourite. It's a dance of seduction."

"Sold!" said Em, quick as a flash.

Ri had Em stand in front of her and explained. "Ok. You'll have to be the boy. You're taller."

"Why do I have to be the boy?" whined Em.

"Shhh. Because I know the steps and it's all me anyway. You just have to stand there while I dance around you."

(In the background, Emma snorted and murmured for only Regina to hear: "Impressive grasp of concepts"...)

Ri began to dance light steps around Em, somehow managing to make the medieval dance she knew fit the beat of the music. Though she was normally shy, she actually put on a good show of seduction, using her eye contact and fleeting touches as she moved.

Em was entranced and could hardly take her eyes off her. The peanut gallery was hardly less so, thinking how strange it was to see that "Regina" hadn't always been who she was now. At one time she'd been innocent and light-hearted and here was evidence of it.

Ri began to sing in her sweet light voice, adding her words to the modern music.

_I'm willing to do whatever / If you take me away..._

_You'll make me do whatever / When you take me away..._

Ri trailed a hand across Em's collarbones as she went around her for the last time. Em reached out to grab her but Ri stepped out of the way deftly.

"No, Em! You're not supposed to touch me yet," giggled Ri.

"Not sure I like this anymore," Em grumbled.

Ri stopped in front of her where they'd started. "There. Now it's your turn."

"I have to do _that_?" cried Em.

"No, you have to do the lift," said Ri eagerly, like she was looking forward to it. "You have to take me away. It's really romantic."

"Er-"

"Mm. It's hard to explain. You have to lift me and then turn ... and um..."

Em had a light bulb idea, and called over to where their audience was. "Regina! Show me!"

"I don't remember," said Regina uneasily.

"You're lying," declared both Em and Emma in unison.

Regina went over and placed Em back in the last position of the dance. She stood behind Em and placed her hands on her shoulders while leaning in to whisper the instructions in Em's ear. As she spoke, Em started to giggle, but it was at green eyes across the room that Regina had directed her eyes the whole time.

Em blushed. "Regina, I'm not sure I get it-"

"Watch."

Regina took Em's place and trailed a hand down Ri's cheek to distract her. Then in one swift move she picked Ri up by the waist and lifted her into the turn to finish the dance in a romance-style drop.

Regina went back to her seat leaving Ri a bit perplexed, staring shyly after her.

Em tried not to laugh making a clumsy attempt at repeating the move, this time with her and Ri. But all that happened was her dropping Ri to the floor and then both of them collapsed into giggles and a tangle of limbs. Em started placing kisses all over her face, teasing her by asking: "is it ok to touch you now, princess?"

Thankfully by this time the song was over.

"Having fun being an enabler, Regina?" said Emma, wondering why she was playing matchmaker between the two teens ... especially since they didn't need help in that area.

"You never taught me that part," added Mary Margaret lightly, recognising the dance but not the last move.

"There's only one thing I ever taught you," said Regina.

* * *

Just before bedtime, Henry was already in his pyjamas and smelled of toothpaste when he popped up near Regina's side as she was conjuring the beds again. It surprised her because he didn't voluntarily come near her much, preferring to be with Em and Ri instead.

"Mom, where's my assignment?" said Henry.

Regina was confused why he was asking her, if he had homework due soon she wouldn't know about it since he hadn't lived with her in a while. But he did have a habit of leaving things to the last minute. She hoped he would ask her for help just so she could spend some time with him.

"What assignment, Henry. Is it due tomorrow?" said Regina.

"Nooo," said Henry impatiently. "From ages ago. I already got it back."

Regina frowned. "Oh. Well... won't it be at home with the rest of your schoolwork?"

"Yes, I need you to get it for me."

"I can summon it if you tell me which one or where it would be...?" offered Regina a little hesitantly.

She was expecting him to forbid her from using magic to do it and to walk over in the dark to get the stupid thing but he surprised her by nodding eagerly.

"Okay! It was for science. I did mine on the space-time continuum."

Regina pursed her lips into a fond smile. "Mm yes, I distinctly remember having to sit up till 1am because you forgot about it until the night before it was due."

Emma overheard the conversation as she came out of the bathroom in her pyjamas. "You did it _for_ him?"

Regina and Henry gave her identical annoyed faces.

"No," said Henry, offended. "I did it and Mom sat with me to help."

"It was a very good assignment," said Mary Margaret, smiling. "I gave it an A."

"If I didn't already know my son is a good student I'd be suspicious of the amount of A's you give him, Miss Blanchard," said Regina.

"You never intimidated me _that _much," said Mary Margaret, but it was rather unconvincing. "Besides, favouritism wouldn't make me a very good teacher."

"Neither would your atrocious arithmetic. I'm glad the curse rectified what your tutors could not."

Mary Margaret had no argument for that so she went back to adding more blankets to the kids' beds. Letting Regina have the last word would be best by far.

Regina held out her palm and a few stapled sheets fluttered as they appeared. She handed them to Henry who immediately started poring over it like he was looking for clues.

"What do you want some old homework for anyway, kid?" asked Emma.

"Yes, Henry, why don't you show it to Emma?" suggested Regina. "I'm sure she would hardly know what completed homework looks like."

Emma's face said "har har".

Henry shook his head earnestly. "No! I can't tell you yet. I need to work on the theory a bit more. If anyone finds out about it before it's time it could ruin everything! Everything could unravel thread by thread!"

His way of talking reminded Emma of how he used to go on and on about Operation Cobra and his fairytale theory. The fairytale "theory" had turned out to be extremely true though... whatever he was up to right now had a good chance of being relevant as well.

"Okay," said Emma, suspicious but playing along. "But you kinda look a bit like a mad scientist the way you're hovering over your little diagrams and equations there, kid."

Henry just gave her a proud raise of his chin and said, "You'll see!"


	12. Two-timing

**Double Trouble 12**

**A/N: My never-ending love and gratitude goes to the amazingly talented artist marynesq who has posted some gorgeous fanart of Em and Ri on tumblr. Make sure you check out her stuff because it's awesome! Thanks for the amazing response, readers! My inbox exploded with alerts and I broke 500 reviews for the first time :). Enjoy!  
**

* * *

'**Two-timing'**

Emma was at the Sheriff's station when Regina turned up in the middle of the day, reminding her of how in the past the Mayor would randomly drop in to give her shit about how she was doing her job. Of course right now like so many times before, she was caught eating a donut with her boots propped up on the desk looking like an idiot in front of Regina.

_Situation normal,_ Emma thought sarcastically.

She put down her feet and swiveled to face the brunette standing in the doorway to her office. Hiding a sigh of resignation, she tried not to gawk at Regina who was dressed as usual in her impeccable corporate style despite lacking an actual job. The woman could probably make pyjamas look regal. Damn.

"Sheriff Swan. Working hard?" said Regina.

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's lunchtime. Gimme a break."

"Crime doesn't stop to have lunch," said Regina facetiously. "Nor does Evil."

"Do _you_, Regina? Because if you're not plotting anything there's not much for me to do around here is there. How many days has it been since you tried to kill someone... like, three?"

"It's about to be zero," said Regina darkly.

"Aw I've missed your death threats, I really have, but if you don't follow through it's only making me think that y-... hey, wait a minute. You're supposed to be with the girls!"

"They're fine."

"No, that wasn't the deal. They're not supposed to be wandering around Storybrooke by themselves. Where are they?"

"Em asked me if she could take Ri on a date."

"A date." Emma raised an eyebrow. "And you bought that?"

Regina looked away in annoyance. "I don't see the problem. She just wanted to get milkshakes at the diner."

"Huh," Emma snorted. "By that I'm sure Em didn't mean 'destroy the milkshake machine just for kicks' or 'lick Ri's naked body'."

"Both of those do sound rather fun don't they?"

Emma didn't take her seriously at all. "Regina. Em is not to be trusted. How many times do I have to tell everyone that?"

"She's a teenager who doesn't trust anyone. You can't earn someone's trust if you don't give them a little yourself."

Emma thought that maybe Regina wasn't just talking about Em here, and she smirked triumphantly when the other woman realised what she'd just said. Regina wasn't as amused by the parallels to themselves but she still managed to keep the challenging eye contact without breaking it.

"Wait a sec," said Emma, suddenly realising. "What are you even doing here."

"There's something you should see," said Regina cryptically. She turned to leave, indicating that Emma should follow her.

* * *

"What is this, Em?" said Ri, eyeing the foreign-looking food on the plate in front of her.

Em groaned, mouth watering. "It's a cheeseburger. Oh! I have so much to teach you, young Padawan."

"I don't know what that means."

"Exactly!"

"Here we go, girls," said one of the waitresses appearing at their booth. She was balancing three milkshakes in her fingers and set them down on the table.

"Why do we have three, Em? There's only two of us," said Ri.

"Yep, there should only be one cos this is a date... but I got us chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla so you could try 'em all."

Instead of sitting across from each other Em and Ri were sitting side-by-side in their booth. Em plonked two straws into the choc shake and held the tall steel tumbler between them, showing Ri what she intended.

"See? We share. Gives us an excuse to be really close to each other."

"Oh." Ri blushed, realising their faces were indeed really close. Her gaze switched alternately from Em's green eyes to her lips as they took their first sips.

"Like it?" asked Em.

Ri mm'ed at the taste of the sweet milky drink. "It's very cold and delicious."

"This is my second favourite kind of chocolate and _this..._" Em grinned and quickly pressed a kiss in Ri's hair near her temple. "Is my first."

They talked about everything and nothing while they ate their way through the burgers and shared the milkshakes. Em told Ri funny stories about the different homes she'd lived in and close calls she'd had when getting into mischief and how she couldn't wait till she was an adult so she could find a proper place in the world and how she had always intended to track down her birth parents one day no matter what...

Ri told Em about what it was like living in a land with magic and unicorns and how she longed to be brave enough to leave the estate one day and see more of it. She was a little wistful talking about her family but she spoke of how she took after her father in personality and her mother in looks. Father taught her to ride when she was small and acquired Rocinante for her. He would do anything for her but it was her mother who set the rules...

Em complained of something called an 'ice-cream headache' so she started dunking her fries into the gooey chocolate and eating them that way instead. By that time Ri had evaluated all of the milkshake flavours carefully before settling on her favourite.

"Sooo what's the verdict, princess?"

"I think I like this one best."

"Vanilla? Boring," teased Em.

"It's blonde. Like you."

Em laughed. "Aw that's cute ... but I hope you're not calling me boring. If I dye my hair pink does that mean you'll like the strawberry one better?"

Ri scrunched an embarrassed smile and shoved her with her shoulder. All that did was encourage Em to squish up closer to her.

"So, this is like courting isn't it?" said Ri. "This 'date'? Except that you didn't ask my parents for permission... and we're not being chaperoned... and I got to say yes or no for myself... and we're both girls..."

Em cut off her list wryly. "Uh yeah, except for those ten reasons it sounds exactly the same."

"And this is what is done in this world when two people like each other?" asked Ri curiously.

"Yeah." Em shrugged happily. "It's nice though, huh?"

"Em," said Ri quietly. "I'm fairly certain being courted isn't like this. Is this how everyone feels on a date?"

"Sometimes but maybe not everyone I guess. How does it feel to you?"

Ri smiled shyly. "Like I don't want it to end."

"Well, that's what the second date is for..." Em winked playfully, but inside her heart was leaping at Ri's words.

* * *

"Uh, what am I looking for, Regina?" asked Emma, looking around Main Street aimlessly. It was pretty cold out and as she bounced on her toes a little to keep warm she could see her breath cloud in front of her.

"It's gone. Can't you see that?"

"No." Emma rubbed her shivering arms, distracted by the cold. "Seriously, _what _is gone?"

"That!" Regina gestured to the sky above the library, losing patience with the blonde's dim-wittedness. "The town clock. It's gone."

"Oh!" said Emma, realising she was right with a comical start. "Ok, now I see. Calm down."

The clocktower that normally rose above the library had completely disappeared. Emma remembered noticing it when she first came to Storybrooke. Henry said it had never worked his whole life but it started ticking again when 'the Saviour' arrived. Emma herself had only ever seen it telling the correct time so she didn't quite believe his connecting it to her arrival, dismissing it back then as the kid's overactive imagination.

Now the clock had disappeared.

"But how?" said Emma, squinting into the glaring overcast sky. "Half of me thinks this is Em's work but even _this_ is beyond her magical ability."

"What about yours?" asked Regina pointedly.

"I didn't do it."

"What does it mean?" said Regina. "It never worked until you came and now it's disappeared completely. It's obviously you, whether you know it or not."

"Hey." Emma wasn't sure why but she took offense to that.

Regina frowned, noticing she was still doing her shivering 'I'm cold' dance. "Where's your jacket, Emma?"

Emma hardly heard it because Marco and Archie approached them to say good day. They had Pongo panting on a leash beside them, taking him for one of his many daily walks. Emma reached down to pat the dog's head but it was Regina that he went to, sniffing her shoes curiously.

"Good afternoon, Sheriff Emma," said Marco in his thick accented voice. He nodded slightly to acknowledge Regina.

"Hey guys," said Emma. "Taking Pongo for a walk?"

"Yes," said Archie in his friendly but humble manner. "Not too many patients anymore I'm afraid. Now that everyone knows my degree came from the curse..."

"Oh well, um," Emma shrugged awkwardly. "Regina's still driving everyone crazy so perhaps business will pick up?"

"The morgue's will," muttered Regina under her breath.

"Hey guys, do you two know what happened to the clocktower?" Emma pointed up at the library roof and they looked up.

"What clocktower?" asked Archie blankly.

"There is no clocktower," said Marco.

"Yes," Emma said impatiently. "I know it's gone _now,_ but what happened to it? The town clock above the library."

Marco shrugged and shook his head with certainty. "There has never been a clock there."

"Of course there has! It was there um … last time I looked. But now it's gone. Archie tell him."

"Emma, I don't know what to tell you," Archie shrugged helplessly. "I don't remember any clock."

Emma sent a worried glance to Regina. Not only had the clocktower apparently disappeared, it seemed that the two men didn't even recall that there ever had been a clock above the library in the first place. Were they the crazy ones or were the guys? It definitely _had_ been there before, right?

"Well, anyway, we'd best be off. Have a nice day, Emma. Regina." Archie smiled and nodded his head politely in farewell.

"Yes! Time's disappearing on us no?" joked Marco, tapping his wrist where a watch should have been.

Once they were gone, Regina grabbed Emma's elbow and hissed at her. "Did you hear what he _said_?"

"Yes," said Emma patronisingly. "It was just an expression, Regina. Time can't literally disappear."

"So you think this is just some coincidence. _Time disappears_ mere days after our teenage selves inexplicably get transported from the past - through _time_ - to Storybrooke? A place that has a history of losing _time_?"

"It's just a clock. It doesn't mean time itself is gone. That doesn't even make sense, in fact it's stupid."

"Something is going on here!"

"Hey," Emma's mouth dropped open in realisation. "This is exactly what I said would happen, remember? You thought I was just being an idiot. Stuff _is_ starting to randomly disappear."

"It's not random. It's one thing and it's specifically related to the circumstances."

"Whatever! I was right. We changed something in the past and now it's affecting the present... but what did we change? Was it Ri finding out about the curse? It's gotta be that."

"No." Regina disagreed. "We can't assume it was that. It could've been anything either of the girls found out. Even something small. Or maybe something inconsequential happened that ended up causing a chain reaction leading to a bigger event... it could be anything."

Emma raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "'It could be anything'? Well that should make it easy to figure out then huh. Meanwhile time is frozen again, just like when everyone was cursed."

Regina's eyes unfocused for a minute and she went through her thoughts aloud. "No. It's not like before when time was stuck on the same day, your birthday... And time hasn't disappeared completely... otherwise we wouldn't have day and night... Em's back wouldn't heal... fruit wouldn't rot..."

"It's always apples with you, isn't it," teased Emma, breaking her train of thought.

When Regina stalked away, Emma was left watching after her happily. Her teeth were no longer chattering from cold.

* * *

Emma pounced on Mary Margaret as soon as her mother got home that afternoon. The schoolteacher hadn't even had time to take off her scarf and coat or put down her bag of school things when her daughter accosted her.

"Mary Margaret! Tell us we're not crazy!" pleaded Emma, tugging at her mother's arm.

Mary Margaret looked like she wasn't very convinced of it given Emma's behaviour right now. She sent a side glance to Regina who was standing nearby with her arms crossed in irritation like she'd had to put up with this for a while already.

"Um, you're not crazy?"

Emma groaned in frustration. "Me and Regina! Everyone we ask can't see what the problem is, they can't even remember, everyone denies it was ever there, and now it's making me question whether it was there in the first place and I don't know what to think."

"Emma, are you talking about... you and Regina?" said Mary Margaret slowly.

"No-oo! The clocktower above the library. There was one - right?!"

Mary Margaret gave her daughter a sympathetic face. "Emma, I can see that you're frustrated. But I don't know what you're talking about."

"Argh!" Emma growled. She put her hands to her temples and spun around.

"Miss Blanchard, do you remember if there was ever a clocktower above the Public Library," asked Regina clearly, trying to get to the bottom of this.

"No." Mary Margaret shook her head. "Nothing like that. The library's been closed for as long as I can remember."

Emma froze in shock at the exact words the townspeople used to say before the curse was broken.

"What the hell is going on here," said Emma worriedly. "Mary Margaret, do you remember that you're Snow White, that you're my mother, and how after the curse broke we went to Fairytale land...? Do you remember Em and Ri?"

"Yes, I remember all of that. Of course. Why are you asking?"

Emma sighed in relief. "So you remember everything then."

"She could hardly tell you what she's forgotten," said Regina, rolling her eyes. She stopped herself from adding "idiot" to the end of it.

The front door to the apartment opened and Henry and David returned carrying brown paper bags full of groceries.

"Lucky we went to the store, buddy! The Emma's are eating us out of house and home," said David, holding the door open with his foot.

Emma pounced on her father next. "David, where's the clocktower?!"

"You're certainly doing a fine job of convincing them you're not crazy," mumbled Regina.

"Um, what clocktower?" asked David blankly.

"Above the library?" said Henry. "Where it's always been?"

"YES!" Emma pointed to the boy. "See! Not crazy! He remembers too. There was definitely a clock."

"You're kinda acting crazy, Emma," laughed Henry. "What's going on?"

Regina went over to the boy and took the heavy groceries from him so he could take off his cold-weather gear. She put her hand to his cheeks, noticing they were a little pinkened by wind burn.

"We're not sure, Henry," said Regina, trying to smile like it wasn't worrying her.

"Where's Em and Ri?" asked Henry.

"They went to the diner for a little while," said Regina. "I told Em they had to be back by four... which means they'll be back by five."

Regina explained to him what they'd found that day and how every Storybrooker they'd asked couldn't recall the town clock ever existing.

"So something got changed in the past and it's affecting the present and now everyone's memories are changing because of that?" summarised Henry.

"Not everyone's," said Regina. "Only you, me, and Emma remember the way it was the first time around."

"That's obvious then," said Henry.

"Kid, do you know something?" said Emma eagerly.

Henry shrugged casually, giving both his mothers a smile. "Sure. We're the only three who were never cursed."


	13. In two minds

**Double Trouble 13 **

A/N: It feels like it's been ten thousand years and a crick-in-the-neck since I updated. Sucky life got in the way. Enjoy :). Thanks for the reviews for last chapter, I love hearing your thoughts and theories!

* * *

**Chapter 13 - In two minds**

"Em, it's getting dark... should we go back soon?" said Ri.

They were alone in the playground sitting on the swings in the fading light. It was starting to get rather cold, so Em had gotten Ri to sit in her lap so they could swing together and share body heat. They'd had to leave the diner when Granny had come over to tell them she wanted to set up for the dinner sitting. Even though the diner was mere blocks from Mary Margaret's apartment, the teenagers had taken a long route home stopping by the park on the way.

"Regina said 4pm but obviously that was just a guideline," said Em. "You getting cold?"

"A little," said Ri. "I can feel you shivering, Em. You're cold. We should go back."

"No," whined Em at a whisper. "I wanna stay here with you."

Em settled Ri back against her chest and then kicked off the ground so they could swing gently back-n-forth.

"Why do you think they're not together," asked Ri. "Regina and Emma?"

"I dunno. They're adults." Em shrugged. "Adults let stupid stuff get in the way of what they want all the time."

"But they're us," said Ri. "They're who we're going to be one day."

Em snorted. "I'm never going to be that boring and cranky."

"You were a little cranky when that boy came over to interrupt us today," teased Ri.

"Ha. He could have just got his own ketchup bottle instead of trying to nick ours! Maybe I shouldn't have squirted him with it though. Bet Emma wouldn't have done that. I still can't get over the fact that one day I'm Sheriff and people trust me and- ... and I have parents."

Ri turned her face so she could kiss Em's cheek. "I know how much you want to find them, Em, and now you have. Mary Margaret and David are nice. Maybe you could try talking to them?"

"I - I kinda want to - but part of me still hates them for abandoning me - and-" Em took a shaky breath. "I'm afraid that I might - love them - and they won't love me back."

"Oh Em, they will. I know it. See how much they love Emma?"

Em sniffled and nudged her glasses higher. "Yeah, but that's just cos she's all goody-two-shoes now. I bet they didn't know she used to be a bratty streetkid before I showed up. She must've changed so they would like her. If they knew who she really was, maybe they wouldn't be the same."

"I think you should give them a chance. Maybe they'll surprise you."

Em nudged her a little. "What about you. What do you think of Regina?"

"I'm afraid of her."

"Why."

"Because she's - " Ri looked down sadly, not wanting to complete the sentence in case it cost her everything.

"Hey, she's strong ok? She seems like she knows who she is and what she wants. I know you're scared but you're gonna get there one day, Ri."

"I'm not sure I want to."

"Well, I guess that's the only good thing about being an adult, you get to choose who you want to be... sorta. There's always plenty of people around who try to tell you who you are and you just gotta punch back and say: 'No, this is who I am.'"

"And who am I?"

Em smiled and pressed their foreheads together. "You are Ri and you have a good heart."

Ri's eyes filled instantly with tears, hearing what she desperately craved and her heart brimmed with what she felt for Em in that moment.

Em dug her heels into the sand and stopped the swing so she could turn Ri's face gently, bringing their lips together for a soft and slow kiss that melted with the minutes.

"You shouldn't be doing that," said a disapproving voice, startling them apart.

Em immediately went on the defensive. In the dim light, standing at the each of the sandpit was a middle-aged woman wearing a dowdy navy-blue outfit with a small gold cross pinned to her lapel.

"Huh. I shouldn't be kissing my girlfriend? Who the hell are you to tell me what to do."

"You shouldn't be with her," said the Blue Fairy seriously.

Em sneered sarcastically. "Well, that's all the judgement we've got time for today, so we'd better be going."

Em glared and patted Ri's shoulder to get her up so they could get away from the judgey nun.

"She is not who she seems," said the Blue Fairy.

"I know who she is," said Em stubbornly, getting increasingly annoyed with having to defend themselves to a random stranger. She grabbed Ri's hand and walked away.

The Blue Fairy curled her mouth humourlessly, watching the teens leave hand-in-hand. When Mary Margaret and David came to her and told her what had happened, she almost hadn't believed it. But now seeing them for herself - the teenage versions of the Saviour and the Evil Queen here in Storybrooke, plucked out of their disparate pasts - she believed that this was an opportunity not to be missed.

"I doubt this was what Henry had in mind," said The Blue Fairy to herself.

* * *

Regina was staring out of the window of Mary Margaret's apartment, looking over Storybrooke's Main Street as darkness was falling. She had been confident earlier in her decision to give Em a bit of independence, now she only hoped that it wouldn't come back to bite her. After all, Emma knew herself better than she did. Regina felt rather than heard someone come up behind her.

"They should be back by now," murmured Regina.

"They are," said Emma confidently. "They're just outside on the sidewalk."

"Oh." _Emma's magic. What else can she do?_

"The kiss at the end of the date I suppose. You know," Emma shrugged, trying to smile.

"I don't. I've never been on one."

"Actually you have - with me." Emma saw Regina start to frown so she amended herself quickly. "When you were Ri and I was Em."

"Neither of us remembers so it may as well have not happened."

"But it is happening - and with your encouragement - even though it might be screwing up the present and making stuff disappear. Why do you want them together, Regina?" blurted Emma.

"I think you know why."

Emma's heart leaped into her throat when she felt Regina's touch. The tension in the air crackled loudly between them.

"W-what are you doing?" stammered Emma.

Regina seemed confused at her own actions and drew back.

"You're falling for it aren't you? You see their cute little teenage romance and want one of your own. You think we can have what they have."

Stinging with rejection, Regina glared at her with hurt eyes. "I can see you don't."

Emma stammered her reasons nervously. "Regina, they're not us. We're not them. We're different people now. Too much has happened. It's too late for us now-"

"You are nothing like Em," snarled Regina.

"That's right, I'm not. And _you_," Emma stabbed with her finger as well as her voice, "are nothing like Ri. I can't believe that sweet girl grows up to be a fucking psychopath, stealing people's hearts and casting dark curses! I wanted my kid to go to someone better than me. Why couldn't you have just been good! Why did you have to be screwed up as well?"

Regina bristled and glared at her. "You don't get to regret that decision because you don't like the outcome."

But Emma was gearing up for a heated fight now, with all the frustrations and grievances of the past and present coming out. It was like poison being sucked from a wound.

"I still can't get over the fact that my kid ended up with the Evil Queen. It's insane! You ruined my life before I was even born, you ripped me out of my mother's arms and kept us apart my whole life. The same person you tried to kill over and over out of some misguided sense of revenge. How many people have you killed, Regina? What else are you responsible for?"

"I only-"

"Do you enjoy it? Hurting people. Destroying lives. Separating families. Has it made you happy? Tell me!"

"No."

"Good, cos you certainly don't look like you got your happy ending. Serves you right if you're just as miserable as the rest of us."

Regina merely tolerated the angry diatribe as though she was hearing tiresome complaints from the peasantry that were beneath her dignity to address.

Emma shook her head in reproach. "So you did all this because Snow White sold you out and your boyfriend got killed? Other people lose their loved ones every single day, Regina, their parents, or children, or friends, or wives, and sometimes it's by chance and sometimes it's not but everyone feels the same way when they lose someone ... it kills them inside and they're sick with grief too but what makes YOU so special that you have to try to destroy the world over yours?"

Regina's eyes glowered like burning coals. "What would you know about loss? You've never had anyone. I'm not like other people. I don't know why."

"That's the worst part, Regina. Sometimes I can't believe _who you are_."

"Thank you, Emma," said Regina sarcastically, somehow making it sound more like 'Fuck you' in her hard commanding voice. "For seeing exactly what everyone else sees. Who I used to be is all I'll ever be to everyone isn't it? I'll never be free of it. I thought you were different. But you're not strong enough to look past all that are you, _Saviour_? You're so righteous now you've discovered that you were born on the winning team and everything you do is justified because you happen to be Good. You don't deserve the word. You don't want me to touch you? What, are you afraid you'll get the stain of Evil on yourself-"

Emma shook her head. "This is not happening."

"-Or are you afraid you'll destroy me because I'm already weakened? My heart is already broken, my mind is twisted, my body defiled. You can't stand it can you? Em is stronger than you are. At least she knows what she feels."

"Em does not love Ri, she's just trying to get into her pants," said Emma dismissively. "Or pantaloons or whatever the hell they wore back then."

"You don't give either of them enough credit. They know themselves better than you do."

"Yeah right, Ri knows nothing about the world. She fell in love with the first person she met! That's not real. She doesn't love Em, she loves the _idea_ of Em."

"You're scared," Regina shook her head with a soulless smile. "You don't want to examine them too closely in case you see it. But you do look at them and wonder ... if you can have what they have. You've been alone your whole life, I bet you're dying to know what's it's like ... what you think you don't deserve. Everything comes back to being abandoned with you doesn't it? What you want most is to be wanted, for someone to come and prove to you that you're not alone."

Emma could barely stop her eyes from watering but she forced it away, trying hard to keep her voice from wavering. "Don't confuse me for _you_. I am not going there with you, Regina. Not again."

Regina glared at her, smarting from the reference. "You would hold that against me forever?"

"You made yourself quite clear the first time how much the idea of being with me disgusts you. You don't get to do this now, Regina. You rejected _me_. After everything that's happened... I can't do this now. Everyone trusts me, I can't give them up."

"Everything has changed. I know that," admitted Regina softly, staring out the window again. "I thought that if anyone could understand, it'd be you-"

Regina turned back towards her only to see that Emma was already walking away from her and she rolled her eyes. "Fine. Run away. You're good at that."

Regina regretted the words before she even said them and the image of Emma's stricken face and tear-filled eyes did not leave her mind soon afterwards. All it ever took was a spark to start a fight between them but this was the first time that Emma had taken her to task for what she'd done to her personally. There were so many victims of her crimes yet the one person she hadn't set out to hurt was the one she'd hurt the most. The former Evil Queen hadn't known then that one day she'd come to know that person far better than she should. There was so much damage shared between them … and she knew that Emma was not likely to forgive her.

* * *

The teens were outside the apartment, just about to go upstairs, when Em stopped and turned to face her girlfriend.

"Ri, does it bother you that we're both girls?" asked Em, hoping like hell that she wasn't opening a can of worms by asking.

"I don't think so. Does it bother you?"

"No way. I don't care what people think - except you. Ri, where you come from... are there ever any girls who are in love with each other? Or two boys?"

Ri shook her head. "No, I never heard of that happening. Is it not ok here either? I assumed things were different here."

"Depends on who you ask. I'm really sorry our date got ruined."

"Ruined?"

"Yeah, you know. The nun."

"It wasn't ruined, I had a lovely time with you today. But she was right, Em," admitted Ri quietly. "There are things you don't know."

"Whatever it is, it won't change how we feel about each other," Em said confidently.

"Em, I don't think you understand."

"Try me."

Ri closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Em could see she was still upset and it made her concerned. What could Ri possibly have to tell her that she thought would change her mind - and her heart?

"I can't tell you," whispered Ri painfully. "But I can't keep it from you either. It's my fault."

Em cupped her face and got her to look up. "Ri, what is it? You're not ok, whatever it is. Let me help you?"

"I'm the reason your parents gave you up," Ri confessed, half regretting it already. She immediately stepped back, preparing for Em to recoil from her in disgust.

"Did you learn something about their past - our future?" asked Em with a frown.

Ri nodded and the first of several tears slipped down her cheeks as she explained everything. She spoke about finding the book, and how it told her all about Regina and the curse and who she would grow up to become...

It wasn't fair to let things between them go any further while withholding all of it from her and though she knew it might be the last time Em looked at her without hate in her eyes, she loved her enough to tell her the truth.

Her voice was ragged raw and pained by the end of the tale. "Em, I hurt you so much! It's because of me that you grew up without your family. You've been alone your whole life. You can't possibly forgive me. I can never forgive myself-"

_This is it. I've lost her._ Ri squeezed her eyes shut and swiped at her wet cheeks. "I'm so sorry. If I could change things I would-"

"No."

Em shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and looked at the ground.

"I don't think you know the whole story. Regina never does anything without a good reason, and for her to do this ... I don't think she had a choice."

Ri's eyes darted up hopefully. "You think there's something that explains why I did what I did? How could there be."

"What _Regina_ did. You are not her yet."

"But I will be one day... and she still hasn't come through it. I can see it. I don't want to feel like this forever. I don't want to be alone."

"Me either."

Em stepped in to close the distance between them. She cradled Ri's face with both her hands and made sure Ri could see all of what she was about to say.

"Ri. I promise you now, no matter what, one day we will both get through this. They need our help. We're going to save ourselves."

Ri's face crumpled and she threw her arms around Em and cried.

* * *

Emma stabbed the spoon into the ice-cream container and flung spoonfuls into a bowl haphazardly. The box got thrown back into the freezer and the door slammed after it. She frowned in concentration and squirted way too much chocolate sauce over her pile of ice-cream, getting messy blobs of it all over the surrounding bench as well.

"What'd you do," said Henry crossly.

"I'll clean it up later. Who died and made you boss of the kitchen?" grumbled Emma.

"No," said Henry indignantly. "What did you do to Mom?"

Emma paused her jerky movements but didn't look up. "What do you mean."

"She's gone home!"

"Yeah, well... good." Emma threw the spoon into the bowl with a clatter. "I'm sure she's had enough of living here with us anyway. She hates my parents and she hates me."

"Emma!"

Emma grabbed her bowl and went over to sit in the loveseat underneath the window. She propped her feet up on the cushions and balanced her bowl of ice-cream on her knees. Henry stood next to her, glaring at her the whole time while she ate. He propped his hands on his hips, looking annoyingly like someone else in that stance.

"You did something to her! She was fine before."

"What makes you think it was me, kid? Maybe it was her. It always is."

"Are you fighting again?"

Emma spooned ice-cream into her mouth, dripping it down her front without noticing. Her throat was burning from suppressing the urge to cry and she was hoping the cold would soothe it. This damn apartment was way too small, there was nowhere to go. She ignored Henry's questioning but she was not enjoying her dessert at all.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this!" cried Henry. "You're not supposed to fight _more_. Why are things getting worse?"

Seeing that Emma was done talking about whatever had happened, Henry went off to the bedroom. He shifted the papers sitting on his laptop, but there were no answers there so he dumped the contents of his backpack on the bed.

A small scroll of paper fell out onto the quilt among his schoolbooks and he picked it up and unfurled it. As Henry re-read the words back to himself he wondered where things had gone wrong. The Blue Fairy warned him but he hadn't listened and now things were going badly.

This wasn't what he'd had in mind.


	14. Work experience

**Double Trouble 14**

**A/N: **Thanks lovely readers for supporting this story :). I'm so grateful for the response to last chapter! I held it back for a while because the fight scene wasn't originally that intense and then I dithered about cutting it back again. As for Henry's involvement in what's going on... maybe, maybe not ;). Who knows what that kid is up to.

* * *

**Chapter 14 'Work experience'**

At the Sheriff's station the next day, Em swung on the swivel chair so fast she nearly launched herself out of it.

"What do you and Emma _do_ all day?! Is this town so boring that there's not even any crime?" complained Em.

David didn't look up from the forms he was preparing for Emma to sign. "Crime doubled when you turned up."

Since Regina had gone home the night before after their knockdown-drag-out fight, Emma and her parents had to figure out other arrangements for the teens during the day. They'd decided that Em would go to work with Emma and David (all the better to keep her out of trouble) and Ri would go to school with Mary Margaret under the guise of being a teacher's aide.

Em wasn't thrilled but when she saw that Ri was, she didn't argue.

Emma had a few meetings at Town Hall and a few call-outs to attend to so she left Em with David, hoping that he'd learned his lesson by now about keeping an eye on the teen.

"Storybrooke is a safe town, a place for families - or at least, it was," admitted David, looking up from his paperwork.

Em put a finger to her chin. "Mm yeah, kinda makes you wonder doesn't it. Regina's sooo evil that she created this _horrible little town _for you all to live in?"

David smiled at her cynicism. "It's not safe any more. Part of that is Regina's own doing."

"Whatever."

Em got up to go lock herself in the corner cell and hang on the bars from inside. But that only amused her for about three-and-a-half seconds.

"Seriously? Is something going to happen or are we just gonna sit in this office all day? Don't you cops ever go out and cap some punks or something... No? How about rescuing cats out of trees then. Finding lost dogs... anything? I oughta go and raise some hell myself just so we have something to do. I'M BORED!"

"Em!" David remonstrated her sharply.

"Yes, _Dad_?" snarked Em.

David started at the title. Emma had never once called him that, even in jest, and he wasn't sure how it felt to hear it from either of them. Sometimes it was hard to reconcile the image of the tiny baby he'd placed in a wardrobe with the teenage version of his daughter or even the grownup one. Emma was a strong woman, more independent and aloof than most- he'd missed the small window of her life when she'd needed a Daddy.

"Enough," sighed David. "I was going to wait until Emma gets back but I think I'll take you with me now."

Em appeared outside of the locked cell somehow, even though David still had the keys in his pocket. David grabbed his jacket and slung it around his shoulders and then tossed Em's at her.

"Where are we going?" asked Em suspiciously.

David shrugged, fixing his collar. "To cap some punks."

"I want a gun-" started Em.

David laughed loudly. "No."

"- fine. Then I want a badge," said Em, pouting adorably.

"I'm the Deputy. I wear the badge."

"You mean _this_ badge?" Em said innocently, pointing to the gold star suddenly pinned to her own jacket.

David reached for his belt where his badge no longer resided. "But how- ?"

Em gave him a thousand-watt grin.

His surprise turned to amusement and he nodded with an impressed smile. 'That's my girl'. "Okay. You can wear the badge, Deputy Swan. Let's go."

"Wherever we're going... this better not be lame," warned Em.

* * *

David pulled the police cruiser up to the curb near a church and Em sighed in disappointment.

"I'm not going in there," said Em stubbornly.

"We're not going in there."

"Where then?"

"Next door," said David, without elaborating further.

The building next door turned out to be pretty run-down and in desperate need of a bit of maintenance or more likely, funds to do so. There was a smattering of graffiti on the side of the bricks and bits of trash lying randomly around on the ill-kept lawn. But inside was a different story.

"Woah," said Em, when she and David entered. "What is this place?"

"Emma." David shrugged and that was all the explanation he gave.

Though the expansive room was mostly empty it was obviously intended as a hangout for children and teenagers. There was a tired-looking pool table near the back of the room and a TV with a games system chained to the table where it sat, there were assorted couches most of which had seen better days, and in the corner there were a few baskets of battered toys and a small bookcase.

David went over to the bookcase with the crate he'd brought with him and started adding books to the shelves.

"Emma did this?" guessed Em, looking around carefully.

"Emma's like you, Em. She thought there wasn't much crime in town and she had some time to take on a project close to her heart. So she organised the 'KidSpace' here so that disadvantaged teens and children could have a safe place to get together and hang out."

"It looks just like -" Em broke off quietly.

David went on as if he didn't notice. "I'm not sure how she managed it but she got an anonymous donor, it was enough to rent this place and get the games system. Most of the rest of the stuff came from Goodwill but we're accepting whatever people want to give."

Em was quiet and without complaint for the few hours that she and David spent tidying up and cleaning the place. They re-stocked the first-aid kit with supplies, filled the mini-fridge with bottles of water and protein bars, and added to the piles of information pamphlets and cards with helpline numbers listed on them.

"She didn't forget me," Em said to herself.

David called from the door. "Em! You coming? I thought we'd grab lunch and go to the school."

Em grinned happily and ran after him. "We're going to see Ri? Awesome!"

* * *

"Um, Mar?" David looked out the classroom window where there was a whole lot of squealing and laughter going on. "Is that Ri outside? Why have the children tied her to a tree with a skipping rope?"

"She was reading them some fairytales and did such a good job of 'the Evil Queen voice' that they wanted to re-enact some of the scenes outside."

Em shot Mary Margaret a glare of accusation. "And you let them. Knowing how she feels about finding out about all of that."

Mary Margaret softened her manner. "She was ok with it. It was her idea. Besides, by the end of the story I'm pretty sure most of the kids were in love with her and rooting for Evil anyway."

The schoolteacher went back to grading quizzes at her desk just as the shrill school bell rang, signalling time for lunch.

David checked out the window and chuckled, seeing that the kids had left Ri tied up before they ran away. "I'll go rescue her."

Emma dropped the Granny's takeaway bags on the teacher's desk at the front of the room and handed Mary Margaret's lunchbag over to her.

"I got you this too," Em said, eyes downcast, handing out another smaller white paper bag.

Mary Margaret hid her surprise at finding a cookie inside. "Oh, Em. I love it."

"You love it," repeated Em, listening carefully.

"Yes, of course. Thankyou."

Em sat on one of the student's desks and pulled a cheeseburger out of her lunch bag.

"I'm starving!" she groaned and took her first bite gratefully.

"What did Emma and David have you do at work this morning?" asked Mary Margaret, taking out her own salad wrap.

Em shrugged. "Stuff."

"You must've done something," teased Mary Margaret gently.

"Yep." Em chewed and shoved a handful of fries into her mouth.

_Goodness, getting answers from a teenager is like pulling teeth! _thought Mary Margaret. She didn't have this much trouble talking to Emma the first time they'd met. In fact, adult Emma had taken to her so quickly that she'd tried to cover it up. Her roommate had told her much later that she'd kicked herself as soon as she'd rejected Mary Margaret's room offer the first time and that she hadn't liked living with anyone before.

"I see you've been awarded a gold star."

Em rolled her eyes. "Yup, I'm officially one of the hypocrite cops now."

"It suits you."

"What, hypocrisy?" scoffed Em, slurping her milkshake.

"No. Emma's badge." Mary Margaret smiled, remembering how proud and pleased she had been that Emma had taken the job and decided to stay in town.

"It's the Deputy's badge, not Emma's."

"It used to be hers. Emma was Deputy here before she was promoted to Sheriff."

Em scoffed again. "What'd she do. Kill him for his badge or somethin'? Ha, sounds like something I would do."

Mary Margaret felt a wave of grief, reminded of the circumstances that resulted in Emma's promotion. Em was clearly joking and though it was far from the truth the former Sheriff had died in office, leaving behind nothing but sorrow for those who had known the gentle man.

"So. You're totally against Emma being with Regina huh," said Em.

Em's tone was conversational but Mary Margaret suddenly felt like she should be hearing a loud warning siren going off. She hadn't explicitly said anything like that in Em's earshot but her teenager daughter had obviously picked up on much more than she let on and Ri must have told her everything she'd found out about the curse too.

"What makes you think that."

Em slurped her milkshake again. "You hate Regina."

"I've known her a long time. I don't hate her," said Mary Margaret softly.

"You don't want me to be with Ri either."

"Em, that's different, that's-"

"Whatever." Em jumped up and scrunched up her lunchbag. She tossed the crumpled paper towards the bin - missed - and headed for the door.

The chair scraped loudly when Mary Margaret stood and called after her. "Em, don't go! Let me explain."

"Why'd you lie?" Em stopped in the doorway and glared over her shoulder.

"I didn't-"

"About the cookie."

Mary Margaret closed her eyes and berated herself in her mind. She'd told a 'harmless' lie and it had come back to bite her - badly. She should've known better, she knew about Em's superpower and how much resentment the teen was already harbouring against her. She'd miserably failed the test without even knowing she was being examined.

"Em. It's only because I don't like pistachios. I said I loved it because I love the fact that you thought to give it to me. I didn't want to hurt you -"

"Yeah well, that's the thing isn't it? You hurt people without intending to."

"I'm sorry I lied to you but I-"

Em cut off her weak justifications. "I've always been able to spot a liar and ya know what I've learned? After the first lie... don't trust what comes after that. You even lied about lying."

"Em, please-" Mary Margaret begged.

When Em walked out, Mary Margaret let her face fall into her hands.

She tried to tell herself that Em would come around eventually - since when did teenage girls get on with their mothers? Mary Margaret reminded herself that her relationship with Emma was far less fractured these days … but she couldn't help but despair that her daughter would never truly forgive her. The former Snow White had no experience of mothers, neither having one nor being one. The last thing she'd ever wanted was for her daughter to grow up without a mother as well. The worst part was that it had been her choice. She was a mother yet she'd missed out on being one.

* * *

Ri was still tied to the tree with her hands bound behind her, but the children were gone. Her face lit up hopefully when she saw David approaching.

"Hi, David! Is Em with you?"

David smiled. "She sure is."

"Is she having a good day? I know she wasn't very happy this morning about going to work with you. I mean, not that it was because of you! She wasn't happy about us being separated and she's still not sure how she feels about Emma being Sheriff. She doesn't think she's good enough, but I know she is. Was she ok?"

David nodded, smiling at her rambling. "She did very well."

"Could you please untie me so that I can go see her?" said Ri politely.

"Actually, I thought I'd leave you here."

"Ok," said Ri good-naturedly. "Can you get Em to come here then?"

David chuckled at her naivete but he felt a bit mean. He hadn't really thought she would fall for it. Regina certainly wouldn't have fallen for it - or tolerated such an indignity. Sometimes the two of them were so different it was funny... and then he remembered what young Regina must've been through that caused that innocence to be stripped from her.

"Of course I'm gonna untie you, Ri. It was just a joke."

"Oh! The children said they'd be back to untie me but I suppose they forgot."

"Ugh! What have they done here?" groused David, pulling at the ends of the skipping rope dangling from a huge knot.

He started trying to sort out the tangle of skipping rope holding Ri captive - or ropes as it appeared. They were tied in some complicated system of knots around her wrists. Rather tightly too. David frowned, wondering why the girl hadn't complained. He could feel that her hands were going cold and it alarmed him.

"Ri, honey, are your hands ok? This is tied really tight."

"They're just children, they didn't mean it. They said my hands were where my magic resides."

David growled in frustration, pulling at the tangles again. This would be much quicker if he had a-

"Ri, I'm just gonna run and get a knife. Can you - I was going to say 'hold tight' - but will you be alright for a second?"

Ri nodded. "I'll wait here."

David took off for the school building at a sprint and while she waited, Ri tried to wiggle her fingers to get some feeling back into them. It was starting to feel very uncomfortable and she winced.

"You should get used to it," said a woman's voice, from behind her.

Once the woman moved to stand in her line of sight, Ri could see that it was the same lady who she had seen in the park after her date with Em.

"I'm sorry?"

"You should get used to being held captive," said The Blue Fairy. "This and worse is what awaits you as punishment for your many crimes against the realm, Your Majesty."

"I have no title," said Ri quietly. "Please address me as 'Regina'. I am also called Ri by those who know me."

"Those who should know better than to want to know you."

"I've read much about justice. Is it fair to blame me for what I haven't done yet," asked Ri, lowering her eyes.

"You are Regina, are you not? Is it fair that her war against the kingdom resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people including children? Many of them would not be as old as the ones in this playground ... but they will never play again. You took their lives."

"Ch-children?"

The Blue Fairy left as quickly as she'd come, satisfied that the seed she'd planted had taken root.

Even though it only took David a few minutes to run inside to the janitor's closet and procure a knife, by the time he got back to Ri he saw that her pallor was ashen.

"Ri! Stay still so I don't cut you." David cut through the ropes quickly freeing her hands.

"I'm okay," the teen said weakly, once she was released.

David threw down the knife and rubbed her hands between his own until he felt the heat return.

"Maybe you shouldn't have saved them," murmured Ri.

David sighed and put a hand to her shoulder. "Come on, let's go and see Em."

"Yes, please. I'd love to see her."

They were heading back across the playground towards the school building when David felt the buzz on his hip and grabbed his phone. The display read "1 new message" and when he opened it he saw a green bubble saying:

STORYBROOKE IS SHRINKING!

David was confused by the nonsensical text message. What the hell did that mean?

"Is that your magic mirror talking to you, David?" asked Ri curiously.

"Yes, sort of," chuckled David, then frowned at the screen again. "Never mind, I think it's just Leroy drunk-dialing me again. Let's go."


	15. Show and tell

**Double Trouble 15**

**A/N: ** Thanks for the reviews :) love you all! I haven't had a chance to do replies this week but I want you guys to know that I'm definitely paying attention to your comments/questions. Plotwise questions will be answered eventually... it's still up in the air about what Henry's up to, what the Blue Fairy is up to, what is actually happening with the disappearing/shrinking stuff. Also I'm hearing requests for more Em/Ri and more Swan Queen, including any possible happenings in the past...? I'm in the business of granting your wishes. Enjoy :).

* * *

**Chapter 15 'Show and Tell'**

"Breaking and entering, Sheriff Swan? The door was locked." Regina didn't even look up.

Emma shrugged and leaned against the doorway. "When I need to get in somewhere... I do."

She would never have believed that the former Mayor would opt for such an informality unless she'd seen it for herself, but Regina was sitting on the _floor_ of her bedroom. There was a large stationery-type box sitting next to her and she appeared to be flicking through piles of photographs of Henry.

"Regina, I'm uh - sorry about last night," said Emma, frowning. "Henry's ticked at me cos he thinks I did something to you to make you leave. We took the girls to work with us today in case you're wondering, but I finished early so I could uh, I just came to make sure you were okay."

Regina ignored the question, instead posing one of her own almost rhetorically. "Do you know what it's like to have your child taken from you?"

"Yes."

"No, you _don't,_" said Regina forcefully, slicing the air with her hand. "You gave him up willingly."

Emma's temper snapped like a steel coil. "Why do you always say it like that? Like you're implying that I tossed him away because I couldn't be bothered raising him myself? You have _no idea_ what I went through in giving him up! I wanted to keep my baby so badly. I thought, 'Finally I have a family, someone who will never leave me and who will love me no matter what.'"

"Then why did you give him up," asked Regina blandly.

"Because I had nothing to give _him_! I didn't know what to do with a kid. You've seen Em, she can't even take care of herself ... can you imagine her taking care of a baby? I couldn't have given him any sort of life back then. I had no money, no job, nowhere to live, and nobody to help me. But when they came to take him away I almost changed my mind, thinking of all the horrible places I'd lived while I was in the system and I begged and pleaded that he would end up in a better situation..."

Emma smiled humourlessly. "He got you."

"That was no coincidence," said Regina darkly. "August must have brought him to Storybrooke and he came to me through Mr Gold. How he must've enjoyed imagining you turning up ten years later to reclaim your son from the heartless Evil Queen. Whatever you think of me, however much you doubt that I love my son, I gave him whatever love I could. But I suppose that's the point isn't it? Nobody believes that I _can_ love."

Emma shook her head pityingly. "You are not heartless, Regina. Your problem isn't that you can't love, it's that you feel things too deeply. To the extent that it makes you dangerous. You can't let go even when you should."

Regina's eyes flashed angrily. "Are you saying that I should cut my losses and give up? Let my son go_? Forget about him._"

"No!" said Emma firmly. "I meant your vengeance. Your hatred for Mary Margaret and your grief over what happened to Daniel. It was too hard to hate your mother for it wasn't it? You're so blinded by your pain that you've misplaced the blame for what Cora did on to Snow. Even when it almost cost you the one thing you do love - you still can't let it go!"

"I'm trying!" cried Regina, finally showing some genuine regret. "But I can't forget it. I don't know why. I have to hold on to what I have. Everyone I love gets taken from me. I thought she only did it because she loved me, she always thought she knew what was best for me. But my mother never even-"

Regina inhaled sharply. "My mother never-"

"She-"

Regina burst into sobs and, unused to doing so with an audience, immediately threw her hands over her face. Emma fell to the floor on her knees and pulled her into her arms, meeting stubborn resistance from her but she didn't allow her to get away.

"Let me go!" Regina struggled in her arms. "You can't-"

"No, don't fight me," murmured Emma. "I know, I know. I've got you."

Emma let her to cry on her shoulder for a long time and for once, Regina let herself be held. She didn't have the strength to push her away again.

* * *

David drove down the road that led out of town and towards the interstate highway. He pulled over abruptly when he saw Leroy's truck parked alongside the road and the dwarves standing around next to it.

"Leroy!" called David, slamming the driver's door shut. "You sent me that strange text message? What've you brought me out here for? You shouldn't be driving if you've been drinking."

"I'm not drunk!" growled Leroy. "Wish I was."

David propped his hands on his hips. "Okay. What is it? Why am I here?"

"We were gonna do patrols of the town line," Leroy started, and four of the other dwarves nodded. "You know, to check and see if anyone was trying anything and then well... Doc, why don't you explain?"

Doc prickled with offense. "My name is not Doc. It is Francois Dupont. I received my doctorate for research into diamond chemical vapour deposition and materials science. It was groundbreaking work. Now I teach Chemistry at the High School."

"See!" Leroy pointed at Doc.

David winced regretfully. "Doc lost his memories. Why did he go over the town line?"

"He didn't!" "Not even!" "The town line?" "No!" "He did not go!" cried five dwarves in succession.

"What do you mean?"

"Look!" Leroy pointed past the group, indicating down the road for David to follow with his gaze.

The 'Leaving Storybrooke' sign was at least a hundred yards away where the orange spray paint marked the border. The dwarves were nowhere near the town line where they'd parked the truck. Doc must've been the first to head towards it when they'd arrived and somehow he'd lost his memories, just like Sneezy had when they'd investigated the line months ago. Now only five of the seven dwarves remembered their fairytale identities.

"The magic," said David grimly. "It's shrinking away from the town line. Get back, all of you. Don't approach the border again until we figure out what's going on."

* * *

After Regina stopped crying, she extricated herself from Emma's arms swiftly despite feeling the loss immediately. Instead of showing gratitude or even embarrassment all she did was swipe her cheeks matter-of-factly and resumed looking through the box. Emma knew it must've cost her to give in to that display of emotions in her presence so she decided to let Regina save a little face.

They'd had their chance to scream out their anger at each other and now perhaps the wounds would heal instead of continuing to fester.

They were sitting side-by-side on the bedroom floor now with their backs against the bed, absentmindedly going through the photographs and keepsakes that documented Henry's childhood. Regina had seen it first-hand of course and had looked at the photos many times since but it was the first time for Emma, seeing captured moments of her child's early life. Seeing what she'd missed was bittersweet.

Regina had never had anyone to share parenting Henry with before and it left her feeling conflicted. Half of her still wanted him all to herself... and the other half remembered the first time she'd looked at Emma and seen someone who was great with her son. Begrudgingly, she'd begun to see the blonde in an entirely different way. Not that she was willing to admit that to _her_. It'd been horrifying and irritating enough at the time when she realised it, but now it was ... attractive?

Emma had made her an offer last year. She'd wanted to spend more time with Henry … and her. It seemed impossible that she would still want that. Did she really think they could do this together? Why was that idea so enticing now. Was it merely the appeal of having someone to rely on for support, someone to share the highs and commiserate the lows ... or was it something else? The two of them couldn't agree on anything when it came to Henry - except perhaps that they both loved him. How could it possibly work?

Emma held up a small hexagonal box with a fairy on top of it. She heard it rattle when she shook it. "What's in this?"

"Henry's baby teeth."

"Ew! You kept his teeth?" cried Emma. "Really, Regina?"

Regina snatched the little hex away in annoyance and put it back in the box. She started looking through a pile of photographs and handing them to Emma one by one. Sometimes she would comment on them:

"_This one was taken at the Petting Zoo. He cried when it was time to go home..."_

"_Henry at the park. He's eighteen months here. Getting him to stop eating the sand was a challenge..."_

"_His first day of school. He was afraid the night before that the other kids wouldn't like him..."_

"_This was his seventh birthday. He wanted to make cupcakes all by himself. But he put the whole eggs in, even the shells..."_

Emma stared at one she'd held in her hand for a while. "There's not many photos of both of you."

Regina gave a tiny shrug. "No-one to take them. I had Graham take some, like the one you're holding, but he wasn't around Henry much. I didn't want him to step in as Henry's father just because he was there."

"I like this one." Emma held up the photo, showing Regina holding baby Henry in the nursery. "You haven't aged a day."

Regina refused to dignify the smartass comment by responding to it. "He's eight weeks old there. Must've been taken during the five minutes he stopped crying."

"Was it hard? Taking care of him by yourself?"

"Yes and no. It was easy when he was a baby, it got harder when he was older actually. When he started to hate me. I didn't know why he began to withdraw from me at the time. But children are not easily fooled, he must've seen into my heart and known who I was. When he got the book he made the connection between me and the Evil Queen easily."

"He doesn't hate you, Regina. He loves you, you're his Mom."

Regina tensed uneasily, remembering the last time Emma had said that to her- and what it'd led to. "Perhaps. I think a part of him will always hate me though."

"Maybe we all hate our parents a little. We think they're perfect and when we find out they're not we hate them for it."

* * *

"Miss Blanchard, may I have a word?" requested the Blue Fairy.

Mary Margaret scanned her eyes over the classroom, gauging the chaos with a practiced eye. A classroom of children was like an army that could rise up with little warning if you weren't paying attention. The students were busily working on art projects and Ri and Em were going around helping with paints and glitter. Well, to be fair, Ri was helping the children and simultaneously trying to prevent Em from making a bigger mess than they already were.

Outside in the hall, Mary Margaret left the door cracked so she could still hear the class.

"Is something wrong, Blue?"

"Princess, I must warn you. You cannot allow this to go on any longer," said the Blue Fairy seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"You must keep those girls apart."

Mary Margaret's mouth parted curiously. "Em and Ri?"

"Yes."

"They're just kids."

"You know who she grows up to be. You know better than anyone of the evil deeds she will one day perform. We have a chance to stop it happening. To prevent all of it."

"Are you serious?" hissed Mary Margaret. "You want me to help you convince Ri not to cast the curse?"

"Yes."

"We have no idea what effect that could have! If Regina never cast the curse none of us would even be here, Storybrooke wouldn't exist."

"Precisely. This is our way of getting home - where we belong."

"What about my daughter?" said Mary Margaret coldly. "And her son. They grew up in this world."

The Blue Fairy steadied her gaze. "This is a war and sacrifices have to be made."

"Are you saying-!" Mary Margaret yelled, before dropping her voice lower. "Are you saying I should sacrifice my family - their happiness?"

"You were born a Royal. There is the price for having power over others. Sometimes you must make difficult choices for the good of all."

"No," said Mary Margaret firmly. "Find another way."

"I think young Henry already has," said The Blue Fairy. Her smile spoke of amusement but her tone was ominous.

"What are you talking about. What does Henry have to do with it?"

The nun replied somewhat evasively. "He came to me asking for help."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because now that magic is back and there's a supply of fairydust I can fulfill wishes."

Mary Margaret suddenly wondered why that hadn't occurred to her before. "What did Henry wish for?"

"It matters not. I refused to grant it."

The Blue Fairy turned on her heel and walked away down the hall, leaving Mary Margaret pondering over what had been revealed.

Whatever strange things were happening in Storybrooke lately were all connected to Henry somehow. It had to be connected to Em and Ri appearing in Storybrooke as well. But why would Henry wish for that?

What was it that Em had said? "_After the first lie don't trust anything that comes after that"_... Mary Margaret wished for Em's ability to detect a lie right now. She wasn't sure if the Blue Fairy was telling her the truth. Blue had lied to her once before... when the curse was coming she'd told her that there was room for only one passenger in the magic wardrobe portal. If not for that lie, the Snow White would've traveled to this world together with baby Emma and then her daughter wouldn't have had to grow up alone.

Had the Blue Fairy really not granted Henry's wish?

"He must've found another way," Mary Margaret murmured, looking through the glass of the classroom window to see Henry and Em throwing glitter at each other.

* * *

"I was waiting for you, Emma."

Regina's face was still sticky from her earlier tears and her voice was husky from overuse as she told Emma everything. Perhaps it was time to extend a little trust in return for earning some. Or at least after this she could rest knowing that _someone_ had heard her side of the story, even if it did pale in comparison to the common knowledge of what she'd done as the Evil Queen. Emma might never understand it fully but maybe she'd see her differently now.

Regina went on. "When I got to Storybrooke, after a while I realised I didn't win at all. Everyone else was living like a zombie except me. What is the point of victory if no-one knows it? I wasn't happy. Nothing was real, but at least I didn't have to be _her_ any more. I had no-one to talk to for nearly twenty years, until Henry said his first word. It was 'Mama'."

Regina handed Emma a photo of a toddler Henry just after he'd dumped a bowl of cereal over his head. Emma smiled at it fondly, though still hanging on Regina's every word.

"But as he got older he stopped talking to me too. I didn't even know he'd found out he was adopted until you showed up. I knew you had escaped and I expected your return for 28 years, as the prophecy foretold. I was waiting for you to come and free me from the curse."

"You did want the curse broken," said Emma in awe.

Regina shrugged lightly. "I was going to kill you afterwards."

"Right," Emma snorted.

"But when I saw you... I knew it was over. I knew you were her daughter. But you were Henry's mother too. You know, sometimes you look just like him when he's mad at me. Mr Gold was wrong when he told me Henry has his eyes ... he has yours. You fought with me tooth and nail over everything, like you weren't even afraid of me."

Emma laughed at that picture of herself. "Of course I'm afraid of you, Regina! You're dangerous as hell. Sometimes I feel like I'm carrying you across a river and you're gonna sting me and sink us both."

"I'd hardly sink myself, dear."

"But if you wanted the curse broken why did you try to stop me?"

"To stop you from finding out the truth of who I was. To stop Henry from finding out. I had to fight you. I didn't want you both to look at me the way you do now. I knew the first day we met that Henry would never be mine while ever you still lived."

"What do you want, Regina?" asked Emma, knowing the answer already.

"My son. I want him back."

"We can share him?" offered Emma. "I'll have the left half and you can have the right."

"Emma," said Regina sharply.

"Oh. You wanna chop him the other way? You can have the top half then, it talks too much."

Regina pushed the obnoxious blonde in the shoulder and shoved her off balance. "Stop it! That's my child you're talking about."

"I know," Emma said, happily riling her up while trying to fend off the attack. "He's kinda cute isn't he? We should totally keep him. I think I could die for him. Or kill."

"I could kill _you_ right now."

"You won't."

"Don't tempt me."

Emma was trying not to smile too much. "Thanks for showing me Henry's things."

"You're welcome," Regina said stiffly. "For what it's worth I am … sorry for ruining your life, Emma. Even if we did get Henry out of all this."

"Yeah, he was worth it though. And hey, the kid could've done way worse than you and me! I'd do it all over again if we had the choice ... otherwise he wouldn't even be the same person. You should've seen the look he gave me last night - it was all you. I thought he was gonna call me 'Miss Swan' and demand that I give him some paperwork."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? I suppose in a way he has inherited traits from both of us."

"Yeah. Sorry he's such a brat," teased Emma lightly, knowing it would ruffle Regina's maternal feathers. "Guess that's my fault."

"Genetics is a powerful force," said Regina dryly.

"So is love," said Emma, unable to stop a smile tugging at her lips this time. She couldn't quite meet Regina's eyes after she'd said it and so she missed seeing a slight smile directed at her.


	16. Mini-me

**Double Trouble 16**

**A/N: **No notes today except to say thankyou! Oops, paradox... Thanks to Thingol for the physics consult ;).

* * *

**Chapter 16 'Mini-me'**

"_One way or another I'm gonna find ya I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha..."_

Emma jabbed at her phone screen to answer the incoming call. "David, what is it? I left work early-"

"Where are you?" her father's voice said over the phone.

"I'm with Regina, at her place."

"Good. We need one or both of you to come here and discipline Henry..."

Emma and Regina appeared outside the front door of Mary Margaret's apartment in a swirl of purple smoke. Once the smoke disappeared, Emma arched her eyebrow at the provider of her magical transportation.

"Why didn't you just land us inside?"

"Because that would be rude," answered Regina matter-of-factly.

Once they were _inside_ the apartment David and Mary Margaret noticed their arrival with immediate relief. They were standing on either side of Henry like they were interrogating him. He sat at the dining table with his face grumpily propped up on his fists. His whole body projected 'I'm in trouble'.

"Oookay, kid," said Emma, amused at the expression on his face. "What've ya done?"

"Nothing," said Henry indignantly.

"You're lying."

"Ugh, I hate your superpower!"

"Yep, I suck. Now, tell me what's going on."

"No."

"Ok. Then I'll sic your Mom onto you. I bet she and I could do a pretty decent Good cop/Bad cop routine and get you to behave. Don't forget that she used to be the Evil Queen..." Emma hinted with as straight a face as she could manage.

Regina curled her lip, but there was less disdain in it than usual. "Thanks for that, dear. You're assuming he'll do what I say."

Henry raised his chin defiantly. "Mom's idea of grounding me is sending me to my room, where all my comics are. I like reading."

Emma groaned. "Mary Margaret, David, tell us what is going on?"

Mary Margaret explained to them about the Blue Fairy's visit and how she had let slip that Henry had come to see her to request a wish. Even though they were told that Henry had not been granted his wish, she and David suspected that he'd found another way to get what he wanted.

"Uh huh," drawled Emma, getting the picture. "Someone told you 'no' so you found a way to get around them. It's like you're Em version 2.0."

"Henry, what was your wish?" said Regina.

Henry twisted his mouth sideways and kicked the chair legs under the table.

Mary Margaret answered instead. "He wished that you and Emma would be together."

"No, I didn't!" denied Henry, without realising he'd walked straight into the trap. "I wished that Mom and Emma could have some time to understand each other."

"We could have _time_ to understand each other?" repeated Emma, cringing. "So this wish of yours somehow resulted in our teenage selves appearing in Storybrooke to help us understand each other's pasts?"

David shook his head. "No. The Blue Fairy said she didn't grant his wish."

"She can't," said Regina bitterly. "After my father lost his title, our patron was reassigned and all wishes were forfeited henceforth. No-one of the Mills family can be granted one anymore."

"So you never made a wish?" asked Emma.

Regina's expression soured. "I was never _granted_ a wish. Now my son has been refused also."

Mary Margaret shook her head slowly. "Blue was not pleased that young Regina is here from the past but now she's working it to her advantage."

"What do you mean?" said Regina.

"She wants us to prevent Ri from casting the curse, to try to convince her not to."

David sighed. "We think that's why Storybrooke is shrinking."

Emma's jaw dropped and she felt a sense of dread without knowing why. "Uhh, I don't know what the hell you mean by that ... but it does not sound good."

David told them about getting the call from Leroy to meet the dwarves out near the town line. "When I got there, Leroy told me that Doc had lost his memory but they weren't even that close to the town line."

"Where were they?" said Emma.

"On the road out of town, about a hundred yards from the 'Leaving Storybrooke' sign."

"So the magical border is shrinking?" said Emma, horrified.

"Is it shrinking uniformly?" asked Regina. "By a hundred yards everywhere along the border?"

"We don't know! We _can't_ know!" said Mary Margaret anxiously speaking in a rush. "Obviously we can't see the point where the magic stops and memories are lost. If it shrinks even further we won't even know until it hits more people. It's at the outskirts now but what happens if it gets all the way to the populated areas?"

"This is a disaster," said Emma seriously. "If the magic border shrinks completely, everyone will lose their memories and go back to their cursed selves - permanently."

"Except you, me, and Henry," Regina pointed out.

"Yes, and that would serve _you _well, wouldn't it Regina?" said David. "With nobody remembering you were the Evil Queen it'd be just like going back to before the curse was broken. You'd get to start over."

Regina's derision at that idea was evident. "Except that I'd lose my magic and the two most important people would still know the truth, my son and -"

"Emma," supplied Henry.

"What if we work on a way to bring back the lost memories?" suggested Mary Margaret.

"Yeah," said Emma brightly. "Mr Gold invented some potion to go over the town line when we went to New York. Maybe we can use the same thing. Or maybe we can find a way to get Belle's and Doc's memories back somehow."

"Then even if the border does shrink we can give the potion to everyone and recover the lost memories," said David enthusiastically.

Regina glared disapprovingly at how they continued to run away with their stupid idea, confident that everything would fall neatly into place. They really were irritating, the whole lot of them. Obviously it was a family trait.

"You got a cauldron, Regina?" teased Emma slyly. "Can you whip us up some hocus pocus?"

"A chemistry kit would be more appropriate," said Mary Margaret in the same tone.

"There isn't a magical cure for tragic events just because you want there to be!" said Regina, losing patience with them.

"There has to be something we can do, Regina," said Mary Margaret gently.

"Why?" Regina said mockingly. "Why does there _have_ to be something that solves all our problems?"

"There will be," said Henry confidently.

"Sweetheart-"

Henry grabbed his mother's arm earnestly. "Mom! Believe me, this is what you don't know cos you've always been on the losing side-"

"Thanks, Henry," said Regina wryly.

"This is what Good knows that Evil doesn't! There is always a way, it's just hard to see it at first. No matter what happens the heroes always win. You're on our side now."

Emma gave the former Mayor a shit-eating grin. "The kid's right, Regina. Welcome to Team Awesome, where we bungle around until we figure it out."

Henry grinned happily. "Emma's the Saviour. She broke your curse, she can do this too."

"Er... yeah. I got this," Emma said shiftily.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well, _now_ I feel reassured."

David brought the conversation back to the problem at hand. "Is there a way to know where the border is right now?"

Regina inhaled slowly as she considered it. "I could go to find the border and use magic to identify it visibly so that we can track it's progress. Hopefully it's shrinking slowly enough that we'll have time to stop it or even reverse it."

Emma looked at her sharply. "You can't go there!"

"Why?"

"You don't have a cursed self. You can't risk losing your fairytale identity - it's your _only_ identity. And if you go too far past the border you'll lose your magic won't you?"

"Most likely."

"Forever?" said Henry. "Or just until you come back, like Mr Gold?"

"I don't know," admitted Regina. "I've never tried to leave town. I've never crossed the border, even before I had my powers back."

"Why is this even happening?" Emma blurted out. "What the hell does it mean?"

"The girls. It's gotta be Ri," said David.

Regina nodded. "She's starting to doubt whether she should cast the curse."

"Wait," Mary Margaret held up her hands in alarm. "What happens to Em and Ri if the border shrinks all the way?"

* * *

After they'd spent the afternoon with Mary Margaret's class at school, Em and Ri went to the movies. Getting permission from Mary Margaret had been a cinch for Em since all she had to do was pout and plead and look pathetic. There was only one movie theatre in town and for some reason it was playing only films released in 1983. Em grabbed Ri's hand and concealed them both so they could sneak into a showing of Return of the Jedi.

On the screen, Princess Leia asked, "_But, why must you confront him?"_

"_Because, there is good in him," said Luke. "I've felt it. He won't turn me over to the Emperor. I can save him. I can turn him back to the good side. I have to try."_

Em had seen the movie several times and she took it upon herself to give Ri the full Star Wars education, complete with quoting the whole movie in time with the dialogue. She especially liked Vader's voice and making the kkkcchhhh noise. The whole thing was rather confusing for Ri, the worlds and ideas on the screen were so foreign to her... and yet there was something about it that resonated with another story she'd read.

Em dug her hand into the popcorn bucket and came up with nothing but Ri's hand.

"I think we've run out of the popped corn, Em," said Ri.

Em grinned and produced another bucket that was hidden on her other side. "Ta-da! Em's popcorn never runs out."

"This world has strange food," said Ri, with a fond smile. "You're starting to fill out a little, Em, and you look much healthier, compared to when I first met you."

"You saying I'm getting fat, hey? Oh no, watch this part! Yoda's about to die," whined Em, eyes glued to the screen.

Yoda's unique voice and grammatical constructions filled the near-empty theatre. "_Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny..."_

"Do think that's true, Em?" asked Ri quietly, turning away from where the poor little green creature was dying.

"Huh?"

"Do you think Regina can't be saved? That she can't be good again one day?"

Em turned to Ri to stroke her cheek with the back of her fingers. "Is this still bothering you? It may be your future, Ri, but it's Regina's present. It's up to her now. Try not to worry until it's your time."

"But maybe I can help her see. Maybe I can help her remember me. Emma told me there was a chance to help her change but she missed it. Maybe I can get Regina to let her try again."

Em sniffed in annoyance. "Emma let her down? Big surprise."

Ri shook her head. "No, Em, it wasn't like that. I think Emma offered herself to Regina but she pushed her away."

"Really?" Em peered at her curiously. "But Ri, you're her, can you think of why she would do that?"

"Yes," admitted Ri. "I'd push you away if I - " she stopped herself going further.

"It's ok. You don't have to say."

But even though Em told her not to worry, Ri still couldn't stop thinking about Regina's past - her future. She didn't know why but when she felt things she could never seem to let go. It seemed her heart could never forget. Today, that lady in blue had again reminded her of all the horrible things she'd read in that book of Henry's, the things that she would do to people one day and the curse that would tear a gaping hole in her heart.

She knew it wasn't her yet, but it _was_ her. She was Regina already.

Em turned her attention back to the movie for a few minutes but she was surprised when Ri's lips suddenly pressed to hers. It felt different somehow and it wasn't just the delicious sting of salt. Ri was acting more confident but it seemed like she was feeling less so. It was dim in the movie theatre but when Em broke the kiss she could still see the darkening of Ri's eyes as though they begged her.

"Em? Take me away. I want to forget."

Em grinned happily in surprise. "Anything you wish, princess. Let's get out of here!"

Em and Ri left the movie theatre hand-in-hand and headed to a place that Em had remembered seeing a few blocks down main street. Even though it was growing late, the front lights of the building were still on and the Welcome sign was still lit. Em knocked on the door.

While they waited, Em hung her arm around Ri's neck and pecked a kiss on her cheek.

The door opened, revealing a tall brunette dressed scantily in clubbing clothes and smelling of cigarette smoke.

"Baby Emma," said Ruby curiously. "And...?"

Em placed a kiss on Ri's temple. "My girlfriend Ri."

Ruby nodded with a knowing smile. "Bet you guys aren't supposed to be out this late huh."

"Not really, but Em will take care of me," said Ri.

Ruby was fascinated by this younger version of Regina Mills, this trusting girl who was apparently smitten with Baby Emma. She would definitely be asking older Emma all about this later, she had a feeling the Sheriff was holding out on her about the Mayor. Those two were so obviously hot for each other. In the meantime, enabling this pair's shenanigans seemed like the thing to do.

"What can I do for you?" offered Ruby.

Em bared her teeth in a grin and winked. "I'd like a room."

* * *

"What happens if Ri goes back to the past and decides not to cast the curse?" said David. "Storybrooke shrinks and disappears? Are we all just going to appear back in the Enchanted Forest? Or stay here without magic and without our real memories?"

"If our memories changed we wouldn't even know it had happened," said Mary Margaret.

"Me and Regina would remember how it was the first time around," said Emma. "Like with the clocktower."

"What clocktower?" said David blankly.

Henry sighed impatiently. "The one you don't remember."

"We just went over this," said Emma in the same impatient tone as the boy. "It was there and now it's not."

"But what happens to Henry? If you never came to this world, Emma, you might not have met Neal and then -" Mary Margaret broke off abruptly before saying anything that might scare Henry ... like that he could be the next thing to disappear on them.

"That can't happen," said Henry, following her logic anyway.

"Why not, kid," said Emma grimly.

Henry twisted his mouth and shrugged. "Because. I have to be born cos I'm already here. Ri has to cast the curse because Mom already has. It's like in my space-time assignment ... events are their own causes. You can't change the past because it's already happened. The only thing that changes is your perception of it."

"But things _are_ changing here, Henry. It's not stable like you're saying," said Regina gently. "If it was then we wouldn't have been able to change the past at all. If the timeline is stable then anything we changed in the past must have been part of the present timeline all along."

Emma squinted. "So... Em and Ri are here from the past but they have to go back for us to be here at all? Then why don't we remember any of this?"

"It depends on whether we're living by Terminator rules or Back to the Future rules," said Henry.

David laughed. "What?"

Henry shrugged again as if it should've been obvious. "Well, in Terminator they went back to change stuff in the past but it was stuff they'd already changed, so the future was the same … in Back to the Future when they went back to change stuff in the past the timeline got overwritten and the future changed."

"Okaaay, how did you do this, kid?" asked Emma suspiciously. "You may not have made your wish but you sure as hell got it to happen somehow. You know too much. And you watch too many movies. Did you have something to do with this?"

Henry didn't answer. Emma was listening too carefully.

"Have you accidentally invented time travel or something?"

"Nope," said Henry straight-faced. "That's probably not what's going on. It's because space and time are the same thing."

"Huh?" said Emma blankly.

"Okay. If you're not moving, you're still moving through time at a constant rate. If you _are_ moving you're moving through space _and_ time ... but if you're moving through space fast enough, like speed-of-light fast, you can move faster through time as well."

David groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Henry..."

"It means you can go forward in time but not back."

"So Em and Ri are stuck here?" cried Mary Margaret. "They can't go back?"

"No," said Henry simply. "They have to go back cos otherwise Emma and Mom wouldn't have grown up to be here now."

"Oh my god, kid, which is it!" said Emma, frustrated by the apparent paradox. "Can they go back or not?"

"Well, I'm not sure," admitted Henry. "Em and Ri are here from different worlds and different times."

"Just before a major event happened for each of them," said Regina uncomfortably.

"They both had their heart broken," murmured Emma in agreement.

Henry nodded. "Yeah, and if there are two events separated by enough time they can be related by cause-and-effect. But if there's enough space between them there's not enough time and so they don't occur in each other's future _or_ past."

Emma gave him a side glance. "Enough space? Are you saying that me and Regina are from different universes? Cos I could've told you that. Her universe is crazy."

Regina gave Emma a face that threatened like stormclouds.

"Nuh uh," said Henry confidently. "I'm saying that future events can affect past ones. So because I was born, Mom had to cast the curse and you got pregnant, Emma."

"Wait a sec, Henry," said Mary Margaret. "Haven't you got that the wrong way around? Shouldn't it be that you were born _because_ the curse had already happened and Emma had already gotten herself pregnant?"

"Nope. The past, the present, and the future are all the same. Mom and Emma did it so I could be born. The curse had to happen for me."

Emma snorted. "So what you're saying, kid, is that all of this is about you. That you're the center of everything that happens? You are such a mini-Regina, I can't believe it. That's actually hilari- AAARGH!"

Emma rubbed her shoulder where she'd been punched. "What was that for?"

"You know why," snapped Regina.

Emma grumbled under breath.

"Okay," said Mary Margaret. "So we still don't know how Em and Ri got here or how to get them back or why they're here in the first place."

"Even after Henry twisted our minds into pretzels trying to explain it," said David ruefully.

"Yeah, kid, thanks for nothing," said Emma in mock annoyance. "You little nerd. Who's been teaching you these crap physics theories? They don't make sense!"

Henry shrugged. "The internet."

"Oh. Then they must be correct," Emma grumbled sarcastically. "Those stupid theories all contradict one another! Are you _sure_ you haven't got some of the details wrong, kid?"

"This time travel stuff is really confusing," said David with an apologetic smile.

"Yep, don't try to think about it too much," said Henry, secretly enjoying the adults' confusion. "Time stuff is - was - or will be - confusing enough to talk about, especially when Em and Ri get back."

"Where are they anyways?" said Emma.

"They went to the movies after school," said Mary Margaret.

Regina shook her head slightly. "Shouldn't they be back by now? It's getting late."

Emma frowned as she accessed her magic sense. "I know where they are."


	17. Too much

**Double Trouble 17**

**A/N: **Don't worry if you were confused by the time travel stuff in last chapter. Time IS confusing :) but I promise there is an single explanation for what's happening in Storybrooke. I meant to post this on Monday but then I wussed out because I'm kinda nervous about this chapter. At some point I broke 1000 followers for this story which is absolutely amazing, so thankyou to everyone for reading/following/reviewing!

Here's a secret for you: the original story only had about eight chapters and had a completely different reveal.

* * *

**Chapter 17 'Too much'**

In the hideously floral guest room at Granny's Bed and Breakfast Em sat backwards on the bed, giving Ri a beckoning look. She pulled her by the hand, stretching their arms between them and took her glasses off with one hand.

"Em, maybe we shouldn't have run away..." said Ri.

"Aren't you sick of being good all the time, Ri? It's no fun," said Em with a laugh.

Ri smiled uncertainly. "It isn't, is it."

Ri sat next to Em on the edge of the bed and they were so close their thighs were touching. So close they could see the detail of each other's eyes and feel the breath on their skin when the other spoke. Em's heart was pounding as she leaned in to give Ri a soft kiss.

"I love it when you kiss me." Ri blushed.

"How about when I touch you?" Em whispered against her lips. She trailed a hand down the delicate skin of her cheek.

"Y-yes."

Em revealed as if from nowhere a glass bottle with red writing on it and held it up to Ri's mouth. "Here. Drink this. It'll make the butterflies go away."

"Do I want that?"

They both had a hand on the bottle as Ri tipped it up to her lips to take a mouthful of the clear liquid. She swallowed with a wince and coughed roughly.

"Ugh! Em, what is it? It tastes awful."

"It'll taste better in a minute," said Em, holding it up for Ri to drink again.

Em took long swigs of the bottle herself, feeling the heat of the vodka burn her throat all the way down. It only took minutes for her to feel the buzz since she didn't weigh much and was unused to drinking. She reached down to put the bottle on the floor beside the bed and when she straightened she saw Ri's darkened eyes watching her.

"Do you want to feel good?" murmured Em.

Instead of answering Ri grabbed Em's face in both hands and quickly brought their lips together for a kiss. Em took control and opened her mouth, pressing Ri to do the same and the kiss rapidly went from fairly innocent to searing hot. They could taste the alcohol on each other and it was heady and intoxicating.

After a while, Em broke first with a gasp and began to kiss her way sloppily down Ri's neck and collarbones. Ri shivered and a wave of something started low in her hips and rolled up through her spine to her neck where Em was massaging and threading her hands through her long hair.

Em groaned. "I want to feel your hands on me."

"Em," Ri panted. "Show me what to do."

Em sat on the bed on her feet with her knees slightly splayed and had Ri sit in front of her. She unbuttoned her jeans and took Ri's hand and showed her how to touch her. The first touch sent desire racing through her veins and she let out a whimper when Ri kept it up by herself. Em kissed Ri again and unbuttoned her blouse, letting it slip half-off her shoulders before running her hands over the bare skin there.

"Is this right, Em," said Ri, watching her face carefully.

Em gasped. "Yes, yes. Don't stop, please."

Ri felt hot just from watching Em's reactions and hearing her murmur words over and over. She remembered back to the last time they'd kissed this way and snaked her hand up Em's shirt to palm her gently. She tried switching the rhythm of her other hand a little and the effect on Em was immediate.

"Oh! Yes, like that," slurred Em, closing her eyes and arching into it. "That's so good, Ri."

Ri smiled and felt Em wrap her arms around her so she could bury her face in her neck. She could feel Em's breath hot against her skin.

"Ri," gasped Em. "Can I touch you? Want you to feel it too."

Ri started placing kisses again on Em's lips and moved up to straddle Em's thighs. Em pushed the shirt fully off Ri's shoulders and slipped her arms free of the sleeves, letting the blouse fall anywhere. She ran her hands down the soft skin of Ri's back and then moved in the opposite direction from the bare skin above the girl's knees and pushed the skirt up as she went.

Em managed to break through the alcohol-soaked fog of sensations with a question in her eyes. "Ri, are you sure?"

But Ri's only answer was to kiss her deeply again. Em grabbed her by the hips and pulled her to meet her own, encouraging her to move against her as she lowered them to the bed. The blonde shifted her thigh between Ri's legs and was thrilled by the sounds she elicited, something like a gasp of pleasure and a sighed moan.

The door to the guest room slammed open with a bang, causing the girls to jump in fright. Emma, Regina, and Mary Margaret followed by Ruby burst into the room shocked by what they saw. But they were not as shocked as the teens were at being caught.

"Em!" "Ri!"

Ri's eyes went wide and she yelped when Em sat up, causing her to fall backward onto the bed. Em held her hands up in an innocent 'I didn't do it' gesture which nobody bought for a second.

"What the hell is going on here?!" said Emma angrily.

"Uh if you hafta ask that-" started Em, ever the smartass.

"I'm sorry!" blurted Ri, pressing her hands to her lips worriedly.

Emma let out a rough breath of frustration and placed her hands on her hips. She glared at the two girls on the bed, one with jeans half-off and one without a shirt on. She could smell the alcohol and sweat in the air and from the glazed look in Em's eyes it was extremely obvious to her what'd happened so far.

"Argh! I swear this is like herding cats! If it's not one or the other of you running away, it's both. Every time I turn my back you've disappeared, or stolen something, or snuck off to have sex! No wonder nobody trusts teenagers, you're IDIOTS."

Emma scrubbed her hands over her face and then peered at Regina. "If Henry gives us half this much trouble in a few years I'm gonna lose my mind."

Mary Margaret gasped in dismay, noticing what was on the floor. She picked up the half-empty bottle of vodka and looked at Ruby disapprovingly.

"You gave them alcohol?!" said Mary Margaret to her friend.

Ruby denied it defensively. "No. That is mine but I swear I didn't give it to them."

"But you gave them a room. What'd you think they were gonna get up to?" said Emma, annoyed.

Ruby sighed sympathetically. "Hey, I just - come on, don't you guys remember what it was like to be a teenager? No-one lets you do anything. I'm still not allowed to do anything."

"Perhaps there's a reason for that," pointed out Mary Margaret.

Ruby shrugged. "I took a shine to Baby Emma. She's alright. I just wanted them to have a little time to themselves. Y'know, I'm like the cool aunt or whatever."

"Ha," said Em with a sodden smirk. "Cool? You are hot."

Ri's face fell a little but nobody noticed except Regina who went over to drape the discarded blouse back over her teenage self's shoulders.

"Em, you are so incredibly in trouble right now," said Emma deadly serious, pointing at her younger self who was still trying to pull off an innocent face.

"Me?! Why you do you always assume everything is my fault? How do you know it wasn't Ri-"

"Knock it off. This has you written all over it."

Em raised her chin stubbornly. "Ri's idea. She started it."

Ri gaped incredulously. "Em, why would you say that!"

Emma narrowed her eyes and turned at Ri next, who cowered under the tone. "Oh, don't worry. You are in trouble too. You let everyone walk all over you. Stop letting Em talk you into things!"

Em butted in indignantly. "Hey-"

"You shut up," Emma rounded on her.

"I didn't talk her into it!" cried Em.

"I can smell the alcohol on her, Em!" said Emma angrily. "Were you trying to get her drunk enough to have sex? What is the matter with you! You can't just take whatever you want. How could you do that to her?"

"I would NEVER hurt her like that," insisted Em, tears pricking her eyes. "I love her!"

The air in the room slammed still like time had suddenly stopped. Every single one of them was stunned into silence by Em's accidental confession. This was extremely bad, what they'd been afraid of was already happening. The girls were falling in love with each other instead of their historical first loves. This changed everything for them and possibly everyone else.

Was their relationship causing changes in the future timeline and threatening the existence of Storybrooke - and Henry?

Ri looked dismayed so Em snuck a glance at the older Regina to see her reaction, but her expression was unreadable. The blonde teen knew how this must look, everyone knew it was her that was the troublemaker - and now, she was a callous heartbreaker as well. This would certainly cost her her only ally among the adults not to mention the girl she loved.

Ri was the first to break the silence for once, though her voice trembled. "Em. I think if you cared about how I feel you wouldn't have gotten me in trouble."

Em's stomach upended itself in sickening dread. "No. No. I never meant to-!"

When she reached out for her, Ri shrank away and held her unbuttoned blouse together with one hand. She felt self-conscious under the stares of the adults. She stood up next to Regina and kept her eyes on the floor.

The young brunette gulped in panic, murmuring to herself. "What've I done? If anyone finds out I'll be ruined."

"Please, Ri," said Em, trying not to cry. "I didn't mean to say it like that but I did mean it."

Ri's lower lip quivered and she closed her eyes. "I didn't know it could hurt this much. Please, I need to be away from here."

Regina heard the unspoken request behind the plea. She placed her palms on her younger self's shoulders and the two of them disappeared into a mist.

* * *

_Mary Margaret's apartment, the next morning_

"Ri certainly picked a hell of a time to finally stand up for herself," said Emma, despondently eying her hot chocolate which was rapidly cooling. "What a mess."

Emma and Mary Margaret glanced in the direction of the open bedroom where Em was still lying on the bed on her side, she wasn't asleep but she had her eyes closed. The teen was hugging the skyblue riding jacket that Ri had been wearing when she'd first arrived in Storybrooke. They'd never seen Em so quiet and subdued - normally she could fill a room with her wacky charm and boisterous energy.

"I feel bad for them both," said Mary Margaret softly. "Maybe we shouldn't have tried to keep them apart. All we've done is made things worse."

"Em brought this on herself."

"Emma," sighed Mary Margaret. "She made a mistake. I don't think she meant to hurt Ri."

"I know. But Ri isn't from this world, she's a frightened young girl who doesn't understand what's happening half the time. If I have to protect her from myself I will. Em has to learn that just because she can take something doesn't mean she should," insisted Emma with a frown.

"Is that what you had to learn? Because your magic lets you get away with things easily?"

Emma nodded slowly. "Yeah. That's why Em's so uncontrollable and impulsive. She's not consciously accessing her magic, things just happen to her and around her. The world bends itself to her will. Eventually I learned to calm down and figured out how to control myself, but it wasn't easy. Especially because I didn't know why."

"You realised after the curse was broken?"

"Sorta. I didn't want to believe it was real. I only realised I could consciously use magic when I helped Regina open the portal for the wraith and again when I used magic against Cora in Fairytale Land. Gold said it was because I'm the product of True Love."

"What about when ... you said there was a time you couldn't get yourself out?"

"When I went to prison and I was pregnant with Henry. I couldn't get out, for some reason I couldn't access my magic or maybe it was that I didn't want to. I'm not sure which, maybe both. I had nowhere to go anyway."

Mary Margaret gave her a searching look. "Where do you think they went? Regina and Ri."

Emma sighed. "They're at home. I hope she's ok. Apart from the fact that Ri's had her heart broken for the first time that is."

"Regina certainly knows what that's like. Who better to help her through it?"

* * *

_108 Mifflin St_

"Why does it hurt so much," Ri gasped.

"I don't know," said Regina softly.

She knew exactly what Ri felt and reached under the covers to place a hand on the girl's back. She'd given Ri the guest bedroom but as soon as she'd gone to bed the night before, Ri had come in and crawled into bed beside her. The teen had tried to be quiet but she'd ended up crying herself to sleep in Regina's arms and slept fitfully until morning.

Ri was sobbing. "It - it - hurts and it won't stop, it's not going away."

Regina swept Ri's long hair away from her face and laid it behind on the pillow. "I never realised other people didn't feel it that much. I feel everything strongly. I don't know why. Perhaps because Mother removed her own heart a long time ago, before I was even born."

"C-can you take out my heart? It's too much. I don't want to feel like this forever."

"I know why you're asking but you don't want that. You haven't yet seen the effect that it had on Mother. Don't ever give up your heart - not for anything. It's the only thing you truly have."

Ri started to cry again. "B-but it's full of her!"

"Em didn't mean to hurt you. Sometimes she doesn't think before she speaks or acts. She's like Emma, but at her age she has an even less developed prefrontal cortex - that's the part of your mind that is responsible for impulse control and understanding other people. She doesn't know the world you come from. She may not realise why you were hurt."

"She tried to say it was my fault that we got in trouble! I can't determine whether I did something wrong. If this happened at home and other people found out, I'd lose my reputation for certain. Such girls never get married and are shamed and scorned for life. I'd lose everything. Everyone was going to blame me and then they'd hate me like they hate you."

"They don't hate you. Your fear makes you overly cautious."

"But Emma was really mad! It must have been wrong."

"No," said Regina softly. "Emma has a slight hero-complex. She was only worried for you because she knows herself. She was afraid that Em would push you before you were ready."

"Em wouldn't do that. She said she loves me! I love her too and I wanted to be with her. But how can she care about me when she knows what I did to her - to everyone?"

"I'm not sure, but I know Emma cares about me too," Regina admitted.

Ri swiped at her wet cheeks, her chest was still wracking with little gulps from crying so much. She knew what Regina was saying was true, she had asked Em to take her away and all she'd done was grant her wish. But when they were together it had felt so overwhelming and Em had been flippant at exactly the wrong time.

Em said she loved her and the thought of it made Ri's heart fill to overflowing. It was scary though, because she wasn't brought up that way. She'd been raised and groomed for a different life. She'd dreamed of love without ever expecting it to happen to her and now that it had she wasn't sure that she could live without it again.

Mother would be furious if she knew. Ri would get in so much trouble over this and she was afraid of what the consequences would be for her disobedience. What would Mother do to Em? Probably anything to keep them as far apart as possible.

"Mother's not here," reminded Regina softly, apparently knowing just what she was thinking.

* * *

Mary Margaret looked at her daughter with concern. "Emma, you know how Em feels don't you?"

"She thinks she's alone now that she's lost them both," explained Emma.

"Maybe she thinks Ri doesn't return her feelings? Can you talk to her?"

"She doesn't want to hear from me."

Mary Margaret pleaded with her whole face. "Emma, you must know what it's like to have your heart broken... you must know what she's going through."

"I do know what it's like to have my heart broken. I even know what it's like to be rejected by Regina," Emma confessed quietly.

"What happened between you two?" blurted Mary Margaret.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Um -"

"Because you are curious? Or because you want to know me better."

"Emma," entreated Mary Margaret gently. "Of course I want to know you. I want to know anything you want to tell me."

"Are you sure," said Emma, listening carefully and testing her out. "Even if I tell you how I feel about Regina?"

Mary Margaret suspected this was a 'cookie' question and any hint of a lie would cause Emma to clam up and shut her out. They'd been friends and talked freely last year before finding out they were mother and daughter, but ever since the curse broke their relationship had become strained. Emma must be afraid now of being found out to be Not The Ideal Daughter and she obviously felt that she had a reason to expect rejection - like an attraction to her parents' arch enemy for instance? Mary Margaret considered the weight of her response before answering, but her tone was certain when she did.

"Yes. I want to help my daughter - both of you. I can see you need to talk."

"I kissed her."

Mary Margaret peered at her searchingly. "When? Is that why she left the other night? Did you two have a fight?"

"Yeah. We always fight, at any age it seems. The girls are just like us sometimes." Emma's smile was tinged with sadness as she started her story. "But no, this happened a while back last year..."


	18. Emma's story

**Double Trouble 18**

**Chapter 18 'Emma's story'**

(set in Season 1, episode 1x12ish, after Emma becomes Sheriff but before Kathryn's disappearance)

* * *

_Last year..._

Emma took a deep breath to calm down, trying to psych herself up for meeting the Mayor and keeping her cool through whatever happened this time. Every single run-in she'd ever had with Regina had ended in an argument or a fist fight or a sawn-off tree and she was determined that this time would be different. After all, she was there to offer her thanks and it wouldn't be gracious to throw it in her face after what Regina had done for her, regardless of what had happened between them in the past.

_Be nice. Be polite. Don't start any shit even if __she__ does... and no matter what she says, do __not__ retaliate!_

Regina barely looked up from her paperwork when she felt someone enter her office and come to stand in front of her desk.

"Sheriff Swan. I'm very busy."

Emma forced her eyes not to roll. "Yeah I know, this won't take long."

"It's already taking too long."

_Don't don't don't!_

"Uh, I just came to thank you, Madam Mayor, for donating the money for the KidSpace project. It's going ahead now and we really appreciate the support-"

Regina broke in. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Emma frowned in confusion. "You sent me a cheque didn't you?"

"That was supposed to have been anonymous," said the Mayor, unable to hide her annoyance.

"Your signature may be a scrawl but the rest of your handwriting's not..." Emma plucked a form out of the air like it was evidence in a courtroom. "Nobody except you fills out forms like they're royal decrees."

"_You_ certainly don't. Nobody but you has penmanship worse than my son."

"Ok fine, whatever! But why do you want to remain anonymous? The project's only going ahead because of you, people will like to know who to thank. It's important to a lot of us and it's going to be great for the kids."

"I didn't do it for thanks. All good deeds have selfish motives at heart and none go unpunished."

Emma wondered why the brunette was being so prickly over this. "Come on, Madam Mayor. At the very least it'll help your political image."

"My image needs no help from you, Sheriff Swan," said Regina, pointedly looking her up and down.

Emma ignored it, fighting the urge to fidget under the scrutiny. "But if people knew the Mayor was involved it could help our cause."

Regina shook her head slightly. "Aren't you planning to rent that dilapidated hall next to the church on Second?"

"Yes but-"

"Mr Gold owns it. If he knows I'm involved he'll reject your rental application on principle."

"Why would he care?"

"He likes to spite me."

Emma stared at the stony-faced Mayor strangely, unable to determine what was behind this sudden act of benevolence towards her and her pet project. Regina obviously wanted it to remain anonymous for a reason. Maybe she didn't want it to look like a meaningful gesture or anything personal whatsoever... except that it kinda did.

"Sheriff Swan. Don't make this out to be more than it is. I had some leftover money in the budget - that's all."

Emma smiled mildly. "You're lying."

Regina froze, blotting her pen on the page of her paperwork.

"It was a personal cheque," said Emma triumphantly. "Nothing to do with the Town. If you don't want people to know they won't hear it from me... but I know your secret now."

"What secret is that," said Regina tightly.

"You're not all bad, Regina."

* * *

Mary Margaret was surprised. "It was Regina who gave you the money for your project?"

Emma nodded. "Yep. Surprised me too."

"Huh. Well that was... nice of her."

Emma grinned slyly. "Yes it was. Turns out she has a soft spot for orphans. After all, she did adopt one."

"Uh, Emma? I think you forgot to mention a kiss?"

"Yeah yeah. I'm getting to it," said Emma, impatient with her mother's impatience. "So. Regina didn't want anyone to know it was her - probably thought it would ruin her ice-queen image - and even though she was pissing me off on a daily basis, I really was grateful. Anyway, so I invited her to the opening day but she had her assistant decline on her behalf saying she had conflicting appointments."

Mary Margaret giggled. "Right."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," agreed Emma. "But she turned up anyway..."

* * *

_Last year..._

Emma was still setting up the tables inside the hall, where there would be tea and coffee and soft drinks set out later with an assortment of snacks. They were intending to have a small informal party to officially open KidSpace and many active members of the community as well as a bunch of teenagers were expected to turn up.

It was still a few hours before the party would start when Emma saw the one person she did not expect to attend standing in the doorway.

Regina cast a critical eye over the place. "I feel like I should burn my shoes after stepping in here, Sheriff Swan."

Emma raised her eyes, trying not to react to her snobbery. "Thanks, Madam Mayor. I'll get down there on my hands and knees with a toothbrush until it's scrubbed to your satisfaction."

"Please do."

Emma rose from her crouch, where she'd been cleaning a suspicious-looking stain on the back of a lounge, and snapped off her cleaning gloves. "What are you even doing here? Your assistant said you were busy and the party's not for hours yet."

"I came to see if my money was being well-spent."

Emma rolled her eyes. "If you wanna have a go at the Playstation it's over there. Can you dance? I'll battle you at DDR later."

"What?"

"Regina. The only way you're gonna get your money's worth is if you come to the party and see how happy all the kids are. Either that or beat me at the game, which is a thing that is never going to happen by the way."

Emma was amused by Regina's evident confusion at the suggestion that there could be something she wouldn't win at. Everything just had to be a competition between them.

A slovenly-looking youth came in and held out a box to Regina. "Er, where do you want this, lady?"

"Set it down on the table."

Emma snorted dryly, watching Regina pay the kid a handful of notes before he slouched away. Of course the Mayor would pay some random kid to haul a box around for her rather than carrying it herself. How imperial. Regina was always flawlessly constructed and so formal in address that sometimes it was like she was plucked from a different era. Not to mention how she enjoyed lording it over the populace and getting her own way. Emma could see why Henry would think to connect his mother to a fairytale queen.

"Did you bring me some toys?" joked Emma, coming over to peer in the box.

"Yes. Some of Henry's old things."

Emma was mortified. "You made him give away his toys?!"

Regina tsk'd crossly. "No. He didn't even remember he had half of these things. I asked him if he had any toys he didn't like anymore and when he heard who they were for, he came up with plenty."

"I'm not taking my own kid's toys away from him," grumbled Emma.

Regina sighed. "Henry has a room full of toys. He won't miss a few. He's outgrown most of these anyway. He's growing up too fast..."

* * *

"EMMA! Where is the kiss?!" demanded Mary Margaret.

"Hold ya horses! I'm getting there," said Emma defensively.

"Sorry. You were saying...?"

Emma continued her story. "So, Regina turned up to give me shit about how I was cleaning the place and she brought a bunch of toys to donate - by the way, you should see Henry's closet. It's hard to know where the hell those old toys used to fit because it is still packed full of stuff. I had next-to-nothing when I was his age. Regina has totally ruined my kid, no wonder he's a spoilt brat-"

"Emma!"

"What?! He takes after me, doesn't he? Except when he's being a clever little smartass, that's _all _Regina, right there."

"Emma." That warning motherly tone again.

"Alright, on with the story," said Emma, sighing. "Regina ended up watching me clean for two hours. I know - it was really weird. We were just kinda talking the whole time and when other people started turning up, I realised how late it had gotten and she was still there..."

* * *

_Last year..._

"I should go," said Regina stiffly, eyeing the small crowd of people already gathering.

"Stay?" pleaded Emma. "Come on, they've already seen that you're here. It'll look suss if you leave now. People will think my party sucks."

"I'm hardly dressed for the occasion. If I'm here in an official capacity I should've worn a suit."

Emma almost burst into laughter, taking in the brunette's appearance. Regina, of course, was dressed impeccably in one of her usual corporate-style Mayor outfits. She'd outshine anyone attending, guaranteed.

"You look fine. Don't worry," said Emma, unable to keep a straight face. "In fact you are way overdressed, trust me. We'll be lucky if the teenagers' clothes are covering their midriffs and nipple rings."

"What rings?"

_Oh, you make it too easy, Madam Mayor!_

"I'll show you mine if you're so curious," offered Emma innocently.

A tall lanky teen with ears full of piercings reached past Regina for a Coke off the table. He gave the Mayor a sullen look and then scuffed away, jeans hanging down somewhere between butt and mid-thigh showing his boxers.

Regina grimaced. "Henry's going to be one of those one day, isn't he?"

Emma grinned. "A teenager? Yeah, that's kinda how it works ... it's the whole 'getting older' thing. That happens when you feed them apparently."

Henry ran over to them, overflowing with energy. "Emma Emma Emma. Hi hi hi. Hey Mom!"

"Kid, what's up with you?" Emma laughed.

"I beat your high score on Dance Dance Revolution! It wasn't hard cos you suck at it, Emma."

"Hey! I do not."

Henry turned to Regina hopefully. "Mom, can I have a Coke?"

"I said you could have _one_, Henry," chastised Regina. "You look like you've already had several."

"So I can have one more?" Henry said cheekily.

"_No_," Emma interjected first. "You're already climbing the walls, kid. Go play."

The boy ran off again heading for the games system, leaving Emma and Regina to exchange rueful shakes of the head. They stood in a comfortable silence for a while, watching their son play from across the room.

"So," Emma shifted her weight from foot-to-foot. "Are you gonna tell me why you donated the money?"

"No," said Regina, maintaining that unreadable expression.

"Fair enough. Is it related to why you wanted to remain anonymous?"

"Yes."

Emma nodded, listening carefully to the monosyllabic answers. She was satisfied that they were the truth, but they still weren't very informative. Even though she was ruled by her emotions, Regina could be the most inscrutable person in the world sometimes.

"So, what were you like as a teenager?" said Emma, casually trying to make conversation.

"I can't remember."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"I suppose I was … like I am now. I haven't changed much."

Something about the slight sadness in Regina's tone revealed more to Emma than she'd bargained for in asking that question. She wondered what the brunette could have in her past that would make her sound so … disappointed? As much as Emma enjoyed giving Regina as much shit as possible, she could admit that her son's mother was beautiful and educated and successful... she was Mayor for god's sake, she owned the town. She had power and wealth and could get whoever or whatever she wanted.

What could _she_ have to regret over the way she'd turned out? _It's not like she was an orphaned juvenile delinquent like me_, Emma scoffed at the very thought. _Bet she was valedictorian. And prom queen._

"Well, anyway." Emma half-smiled. "I'm sure I won't surprise you by saying that I was a total hellraiser when I was a teenager. I was always in trouble over something."

"I'm shocked to hear it."

"That's why I organised this place." Emma looked around the room, eyes landing on the battered furniture and the young people hanging around having a good time. "I used to go somewhere like this when I was younger, when I wasn't sneaking into movie theatres that is. I just think that maybe if kids like me had a safe place where they could be themselves, maybe the world would seem like less of the crapsack that it is."

"I'm sure there are worse places than this world," said Regina quietly.

Emma shrugged. "I haven't forgotten where I came from."

Regina looked at her so sharply that Emma changed the topic after that. Not many people wanted to hear about her troubled past or her cynicism (she'd learned that the hard way) and Emma highly doubted that someone as put-together as the Mayor could have empathy for her. If she did, hell would surely freeze over before she'd admit it.

Even though Emma was the host of the party and many guests kept coming up to thank and congratulate her during the night, she spent most of her time talking to Regina. For hours now they'd managed to be civil and Emma found that was actually enjoying herself, not wanting it to be over so fast. She did wonder why Regina had bothered to come and was half-expecting an argument to spark at any moment that would make the brunette leave … but it never happened.

* * *

"It was dark by the time the party ended," Emma continued. "Regina had walked there earlier in the day from Town Hall and Henry had come straight from school so I offered to drive them home."

"Smooth," said Mary Margaret approvingly.

"Yeah I thought so too," teased Emma. "Turns out Henry had been scoffing sweets all night behind our backs and he crashed pretty hard. I carried him upstairs so Regina could put him to bed. Did you know there's a whole process to it? You don't just dump 'em in bed, apparently you have to get them into their pyjamas without waking them up and tuck them in with the special whatever-they-have. Henry's is a blanket and he sleeps like he's dead to the world."

"And...?" prompted Mary Margaret, sensing she was getting closer to the good part.

Emma looked down nervously. "I uh, stayed for a while after Henry was in bed. Regina didn't ask me to go so I didn't offer to leave. She got us glasses of wine and we talked and it was... nice and for once we went more than five minutes without arguing."

"Then what happened."

"I screwed up. I wasn't drunk though. I'd only had one glass, I swear. I guess I just got the wrong idea..."

* * *

_Last year..._

"What are you doing to me, Emma?!"

Regina covered her mouth with her hand in shock and leaped off the couch. Her heel scuffed on the carpet and she nearly stumbled back in her haste to put some distance between herself and the woman she'd been in an embrace with seconds before.

Emma stammered, but no words came to her lips. "I - um-"

"Leave. _Now_."

Regina stalked out of the study, heading for the front door to kick her out. She held the door open and the cool night air rushed in, but Emma had no intention of leaving without trying to figure out what the hell had gone so wrong.

"Regina, please - can't we talk about this? I'm sorry - I thought you might've changed your mind since what happened last time- I know you said you didn't want a relationship but I thought maybe you were just unsure because-"

"I don't care what you thought! I ought to have you charged with assault."

"What!" cried Emma defensively. "It was a mistake okay. It definitely won't happen again."

"Stop shouting at me, you'll wake Henry!"

"Regina, YOU are the one who's yelling," hissed Emma, unable to keep her voice down in the echo-y foyer.

"Get out of my house!"

Emma could feel her control slipping along with her anger and Regina seemed to be having similar trouble, judging by the way her chest was heaving like she couldn't get air. If she didn't know better, the blonde would've said the other woman looked afraid. She'd never seen the Mayor look so utterly discomposed … and over something as simple as a kiss?

"I don't know what the hell is happening here! Why are you overreacting? It was just a kiss, it's not like I intended to molest you. I got the wrong idea and trust me, I won't be trying anything again. Besides, you kissed me back. You can deny it all you want, but I felt it. Both times. You think I didn't notice you practically had your tongue down my throat?"

Regina glared at her, deathly serious. "Sheriff Swan, leave now. If you ever bring this up again or refer to it in any way, the next time you'll be seeing Henry will be through a telephoto lens at his college graduation."

Emma gave her a tainted smile and shook her head. "You always gotta play it don't you, Regina? Your fucking trump card. Well, don't waste it. There's only so many in the deck. You can't keep Henry away from me forever."

Emma heard the door slam shut behind her as she stalked down the path to her car. When she got home, there was no-one she could to talk to about it and so she ended up punching the crap out of her pillow as the tears of disappointment fell.

* * *

"That... did not go well," summarised Mary Margaret.

"Yeah," Emma drew the word out slowly. "But I-"

Mary Margaret saw that Emma was still holding back from her, afraid of how she'd react to whatever she had to say.

"Mom, I can't get her out of my mind!" cried Emma suddenly. "I can't stop thinking about her. What am I supposed to do?"

"You have feelings for Regina," asked Mary Margaret gently.

"Yes!" Emma's voice started to shake. "I know it's the most screwed-up thing ever. She hates me. She's tried to kill me at least twice. We can't afford to let Henry get hurt. And it'd never work anyway because of all this stupid fairytale stuff - because of you and her! Maybe I'm selfish, but my whole life I've never had any family and now that I do I don't want to give them up. I can't choose between you and her and that's what it'd come to, I know it!"

Emma stuffed her fists into her eyes and breathed out raggedly. "It doesn't matter anyway. She doesn't want a relationship with me. I don't know why I can't get over it. Every time I see her, I get pulled back in and fall for her again."

Mary Margaret guided her daughter into a hug and rubbed circles on her back.

"Emma. Why do you think Regina reacted that way when you kissed her?"

"She hates me? I don't know! Maybe she felt nothing."

"No," Mary Margaret said softly. "You know Regina only reacts badly when she feels too much, not too little."

"Really?" said Emma in a small voice.

"Yes. I'd be willing to bet that she was overwhelmed by what she felt. I think that's what happened with Em and Ri as well."

Mary Margaret drew out of the embrace and stroked a thumb over Emma's cheek, gazing at her daughter's face like she was tracing out a memory - or trying to memorise it.

"That wasn't even the first time I kissed her," Emma confessed. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to try again after what happened the first time. There was blood - literally."

"The first time?"

"Yeah. It was-" Emma waved her hand vaguely. "I dunno. It's a long story. Another time maybe. She pushed me away then too."

"Did you ever ask her why?"

Emma scoffed. "No. Have you MET Regina? She's not exactly approachable. She threatened me with not seeing Henry if I ever brought it up. What could I do?"

"How did Regina act afterwards?"

Emma shrugged sarcastically. "She acted like it never happened. What else. I was stupid for thinking she might have feelings for me."

Mary Margaret was concerned by her daughter's constant self-deprecation, as if her emotions and thoughts weren't valid or worth anyone's consideration. Sometimes she still sounded like the seventeen-year-old who often termed herself an idiot or a "bad kid". She hated that her daughter must've grown up being told that so many times as to eventually believe it.

"Emma. Why do you act as though you hate Em?"

"Because," Emma paused to exhale slowly. "If I had've been good enough, if I hadn't have been such an idiot... maybe I could've kept Henry."

"It's time to forgive yourself for that, Emma."

Emma gave a tiny nod. "I was afraid of where he'd end up but he did okay. He got Regina. And even though she used to be the Evil Queen, she wasn't that to Henry. She's his Mom."

"You both are."

"Yeah. But you should see this treasure trove she's got of him - photos of him and paintings he did - she kept everything. I think she wanted to be a Mom really badly. I don't think it was easy for them but I'm glad they had each other. I wish I could fit in too. It could never work, but if it did and there was even a chance that it could... it'd be amazing. But there's no fairytale endings for people like me."

"Emma, can I ask you - you don't have to answer - but I've heard Em mention girls but obviously you were with Henry's father...?"

"I know what you're asking. And yes."

"Oh."

Emma's voice was strained and she looked down. "Are you disappointed."

"No! Emma, no." Mary Margaret shook her head firmly. "I was just thinking that it wouldn't have been easy for you if you'd grown up in the Enchanted Forest."

Emma snorted softly. "It's not like it was even easy _here_."

"I'm only disappointed in the world - never you. There's nothing you could ever tell me about yourself that would change how much I love you, how much I wanted you from the moment I knew you existed."

"Thankyou for loving me back. You know that I forgive you for giving me away don't you? I hope you forgive yourself too - you made the right choice and now we get to be together but - I just wish - it's just that -"

Emma was trying so hard not to cry but she couldn't control the breaks in her voice any longer, "Can you help Em? When I was younger, I could r-really have used a Mom."

"Well, you've got one now." Mary Margaret pulled an embarrassed Emma into her arms. "You're never too old to fit into my arms, my baby girl. But you're right, there's someone else here who needs a Mom right now, someone who's never had one before either... I'll have a talk with Em when she's ready."

After a while, Emma sat back and swiped her face roughly. "What should I do about Regina? Before she left the other night ... I think she was reaching out to me and I really hurt her. She can't possibly have changed her mind can she?"

Mary Margaret patted Emma's hand. "If you are certain that Regina does not and never will feel the same way about you as you do about her... then you should let it go. You can't fight for what doesn't exist."

"_But_," Mary Margaret tipped her head forward with a twinkling smile. "If you still think there's a chance, don't be afraid to take it. I know you said she's rejected you twice. But don't forget - where we come from, where Regina grew up... you two would've been a brand new story. You said it wasn't easy for you here, maybe it's not easy for Regina either. Things were different last year ... she was Mayor and a single Mom, the curse was still in effect, and she had a lot to lose... I don't think I need to tell you how badly it ended the last time she fell in love."

Emma nodded to herself and blew out a breath. "Ok, I will consider the possibility of maybe trying again... _if_ Regina gives me something of a hint first. I'll try. Even though she could literally shoot me down in flames this time."

Mary Margaret gave her an adoring smile. "That's my girl. Third time's the charm."

"So are all mothers this annoyingly chipper and hopelessly romantic? Or is it just cos mine is Snow White. You're not gonna sing to me are you?"


	19. Holding out

**Double Trouble 19**

**A/N: **Happy Birthday to Lana :).

* * *

**Chapter 19 'Holding out'**

Almost everyone had made an attempt to cheer Em up but no-one had succeeded thus far. She wasn't in much of a state to be causing any trouble so they'd left her to her own devices during the days that followed, but all she did was mope and ignore them and pick at whatever food the adults brought to her.

Mary Margaret had reached out to Em a few times but the teen didn't seem to respond to her. Not that it would stop her trying but she didn't want to push Em before she was ready.

She went into the bedroom where her young daughter was and laid herself on the bed next to her.

"I'm here if you want to talk, Em?" said Mary Margaret to the teen's back.

No answer.

"Do you want to be alone?"

Em didn't answer 'no' but she also didn't tell her to get lost, so Mary Margaret stayed close just in case. She decided to tell Em a little story, like she had when her baby girl wasn't yet born.

"When I found out I was pregnant with you I knew you were going to be a girl. You used to keep me up all night kicking me, or sometimes you would have the hiccups - you always used to get them at night. Your father would put little things on my stomach so he could watch you kick them off. I had your name picked out early but I didn't tell him. It was our little secret and I used to whisper your name to you when I read you stories. My little Emma."

Mary Margaret smiled wistfully, caught in old memories.

"Your birthday was the happiest day of my life. I wasn't sure I could ever have a child and as soon as I knew you were on your way, I couldn't wait for the day when I would finally hold you. But it was also the saddest day of my life, the curse was coming and I only got to hold you for a few moments... but as soon as I had you in my arms, I knew that I never wanted to let you go."

She brushed away an errant tear and sniffed. "It hurts to think that you ever feel unwanted and alone, Em. I loved you from the first little flutter I felt and you were _so_ wanted, sweetheart."

"It hurts to see you so upset because I don't know how to make you feel better."

Em still hadn't said anything so Mary Margaret got up to go, not wanting to push it in case she angered or hurt the girl anymore than she already was. But as soon as she went to the door, a small voice came from behind her.

"Please don't go?"

* * *

"Am I doing it right?" said Ri, frowning at the pastry she was rolling out on the kitchen bench.

"Yes, that's fine," said Regina. She took out a few apples to wash them.

"Those apples are from my tree," said Ri, eyeing the perfect Honeycrisps with wonder. "You still have it! It must be enormous now."

"Apart from an entirely unprovoked act of vandalism it is still growing strong."

They were making apple turnovers but it was taking longer than usual because Ri stopped to cry several times. After the protection that Regina had offered her younger self for the first time the other night after hardly speaking to her in the days beforehand, Ri had finally felt able to open up to her and she began to ask Regina all manner of questions. The young girl had never had anyone to talk to before about how she felt about everything, especially one who understood her _perfectly_.

Ri understood Regina's ignoring her for so long. Each of them was hurt to see who the other was and all it did was remind them of being disappointed by life and feeling powerless in an unfair world.

The one topic they both avoided was the curse. For Regina it was the distant past and for Ri it was the distant future. Neither of them wanted to focus on it as much as they wanted to deal with the present. It was too painful to go through again.

Ri looked at Regina curiously as she peeled the apple skins deftly. "How do you know how to do this?"

"I've had a lot of time on my hands."

"Mother says cooking is for servants. I'd never be allowed to do this at home! Oh, I'm sure you know that don't you."

"Yes, but Mother was wrong about a lot of things."

"I miss her and Daddy," said Ri sadly.

"So do I."

"Daddy doesn't pay much attention to me, he just leaves me to Mother's care. She is always so hard on me, she criticises every single thing. Nothing I ever do is right! Sometimes I think she doesn't really love me."

Regina hissed when the sharp blade of the knife slipped across her palm.

Ri cringed. "Ooh, that must hurt."

"Mmhm." Regina stuffed her hand into a tea towel to soak up the blood from the stinging cut.

"Regina, did Emma make you an offer of marriage?"

Regina was barely able to hide her mirth at the phrasing and the image that sprung to mind. "Not exactly. Things are different in this world."

"You went on dates then? Em explained it to me, she said that's what happens here when two people like each other."

"No, we didn't go on a date."

"Why not?"

Regina raised her shoulders, struggling for words. "It's... complicated."

Ri looked at her earnestly. "But she likes you, can't you tell? At first I thought she hated you, but now I think she's just afraid that you hate _her_. What happened between you two?"

"She kissed me."

"Really!" Ri almost squealed. "It's wonderful isn't it? The way it feels when she kisses me is so amazing... so overwhelming, I almost can't stand it. Is that how it is for you?"

"Yes, but the last time was a while ago... it ended in a fight. I made sure that she wouldn't want to try it on me again."

"Oh. That's so sad. Maybe I won't get to kiss Em again either." Ri's lip trembled and twin tears fell down her cheeks again.

"I'm sure you will."

"Oh! I wish I could stop crying," complained Ri, impatiently swiping at her cheeks.

"I wish I could tell you that it gets better."

Ri brightened through her tears. "Regina! It's different here isn't it? What if _you_ asked Emma?"

"What?"

"Ask her to marry you! I mean - date, sorry. Ask her to go on a date."

"I don't think so."

"Ohhh why not," said Ri mock-grumpily. "It would be lovely. Then I'd know that Em and I end up together. You could be a family with Emma and her son! Henry is such a sweet boy."

"I don't know if Emma wants that anymore, if she ever did. She has her family now and I doubt that includes me. It's never going to work," said Regina quietly, returning her attention to slicing the apples.

Ri took a bite out of one of the apples. "You wish it would. Maybe she just wants to know if you like her? Can't you do something to let her know?"

"It's too late for us. Are you ready to go see Em yet?"

"I'm not sure, but I want to. Can we go somewhere first though?"

"Of course." Regina smiled fondly, realising where her younger self wanted to go.

* * *

Emma scrolled through the series of calls and texts she'd sent Regina since she and Ri disappeared from the B&B the other night. All of them were unanswered.

_Regina, are you guys ok?_

_I know you are at home but can you please reply so I know you and Ri are ok?_

_Henry's asking about you. He knows something's up cos Em is really upset. How is Ri?_

Today's most recent message read:

_REGINA! Answer ur phone FFS!_

Emma sighed and threw her phone on her desk at the Sheriff's station. She was worried about Ri after what'd happened the other night. The poor girl had looked devastated. She wasn't exactly sure why but something had happened with Em that had broken her heart. She was also worried about Regina having to essentially relive that again, it must be dredging up old painful memories for her.

Emma hoped that Ri and Em would make up. She wanted them both to have a bit of happiness, just like Regina did. It might be too late for them but it wasn't too late for the teens. Maybe it was inevitable that this would happen - maybe all this showed was that even when they were younger and better and had less crap between them, they still couldn't make their relationship work.

On top of that there was all that other stuff with Storybrooke shrinking to worry about. There hadn't been anyone else who had lost their memories so far but surely it was only a matter of time. Emma felt that she could really use some magical backup right now, preferably some that didn't come bundled with a cane and a load of smug double talk.

When her phone beeped with a new message, Emma dove upon it and almost turfed everything on her desk onto the floor in her haste.

_'1 new message from Henry's Mom,' _ the display read.

She tapped through to the message after accidentally hitting the wrong icons a few times. What she saw nearly made her throw her phone at the wall. There was one message from Regina, an answer to the first text she'd sent, and infuriatingly all it said was:

_"Yes."_

Emma punched her phone screen angrily and decided to try calling the aggravating woman yet again. She knew Regina had her phone on her right now and if she ignored the call at least she would be able to yell at her for it next time in person.

Regina answered eventually. "Hello Emma."

Emma sighed out of frustrated relief. "Regina! Why haven't you been answering your phone? I've been trying to get a hold of you. I had no idea if you and Ri were-"

"We're fine."

"Seriously?! I've been worried sick about both of you and all I get is a one-word text and 'we're fine'?"

"Emma, calm down."

"Oookay," Emma gritted her teeth and exhaled slowly. "How is Ri? And if you say 'fine' I'm gonna come over there and kill you."

"She's ... ok."

"Really? Cos Em is devastated-"

"So is Ri. She's been crying a lot."

"I'm surprised she even went with you after the way you've been ignoring her this whole time. You did try to talk to her and help her through it, right?"

"Of course I did!"

"Did she tell you why she's so upset at Em?"

"It's complicated. She got overwhelmed." Regina's voice was quiet over the phone.

"Oh. When Em said she loved her? Is she -" Emma bit her lips together. "Does she feel the same way?"

"Yes."

"They need to talk."

Muffled sounds came over the phone, like Regina had her hand over the handset and was talking to someone else.

"Regina? Where are you? It sounds like you're- huh, can you hear me?"

The phone disconnected and Emma stared at the screen in open-mouthed confusion. She wasn't sure if she'd been hung up on or not. Judging from the background noise she'd heard they weren't at home right now, but where would they go? Maybe they didn't want to be found and Regina was ducking her calls on purpose.

Emma smirked to herself, only just remembering to grab her jacket before heading out. "Too bad for you, Regina, that I can find anyone I'm looking for..."

* * *

Mary Margaret went to sit on the side of the bed in front of Em, and although she was desperately wishing to comfort the girl by stroking back her hair or any number of motherly gestures... she held back, waiting to see if her daughter was ready for it.

Em's eyes widened as she noticed what Mary Margaret had in her hands. "Is that-?"

"Emma thought you might like it right now."

The pixie-haired brunette held out the baby blanket with a loving smile and Em grabbed it greedily, immediately balling it up and hugging it to her chest like it was her most precious possession - which it was.

"I haven't seen it in ages. It smells funny."

"That's laundry powder. Emma said to make sure you wash it thoroughly when you find it," said Mary Margaret teasingly.

Em sighed and buried her face in her blanky, feeling instantly calmer and more self-controlled.

"I made this for you, did you know?"

Em nodded. "It looks hand-made. I had it with me my first few houses but I lost it along the way. I'm glad I get it back. I was found wrapped in it, it's all I have. My only clue. I was always gonna go looking for my parents after I got out of the foster system... I guess I've found you now."

"How do you feel? Now that you've found us."

"Dunno. It still doesn't change the fact that I've been alone my whole life. But I guess it's good to know who I am - sorta."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not like you and David. I'm not even like Emma. I'm not good."

Mary Margaret gave Em a shrewd look. "Someone told me there's no such thing as Good and Evil."

"That's dumb. Of course there is."

It was funny that Em had contradicted her older self but Mary Margaret chalked the differences between them up to life experience and a bit of maturity. Although, now that she thought about it, the adult version of Emma had been emotionally immature and prone to juvenile behaviour when she'd first met her. It was only after Emma had gotten to know Henry, when she'd found someone who depended on her and after she'd decided to stay and make a place in his life that she'd grown up for real.

"You are not a bad kid, Em," said Mary Margaret softly. "I'm going to keep telling you that until you believe it."

"You love Emma?" said Em.

Mary Margaret smiled happily. "Yes, so much that I can hardly breathe sometimes. I loved her before I even knew she was my daughter. I never got to see Emma growing up and now that you're here I get to see her in a way I thought I never would. I love you as well."

"You don't even know me."

"I want to know you, but it won't change things because I already love you. I'm your mother. That's what unconditional love is."

Em snorted. "There's no such thing. All that means is that you're not gonna tell me what the conditions are until I break them. Then I'll find out how much you really love me."

"What conditions do you think I have?"

"Like I have to say."

"Try me."

Em rolled her eyes. "For a start, I'm sure you're thrilled to find out I'm a bratty streetkid."

"I am disappointed - but not by you. I sent you through the wardrobe to give you a chance to grow up and save us - to save yourself as well. I had no idea what kind of world you'd end up in, it was a terrible risk but I had no choice. I had to take the chance. I'm heartbroken that you ended up with people who didn't appreciate how special you are - and worse, people who hurt you."

"Yeah I've had some real winners. Most of them didn't really care what I did as long as they got their fucking cheques. It was only at my last place they knocked me around. I had a family once though."

"When you were little?"

"Yeah. When I was a baby up until I was almost adopted. Cos I was cute back then I spose and it was before I grew a smart mouth obviously. They sent me back when I was three."

"Do you remember what it was like?"

Em recalled vague memories and spoke with a sneer. "It was disgustingly perfect. Perfect house, perfect Mom, perfect Dad. The only thing that wasn't perfect was me."

"Em, you are-"

"Yeah whatever!" Em frowned angrily at the placating tone. "They said they loved me and we were gonna be a family for real, but then they sent me back when she got pregnant. They only wanted me if they couldn't have their own kid, like I was their second choice or something. Not as good as the real thing."

"Is that why you think there's no such thing as unconditional love?"

Em ignored that. "Y'know who gets me? Regina. Nobody can look past her evil deeds or whatever the hell happened back then, nobody loves her either."

"That's not true," said Mary Margaret quietly.

"Uh yeah it is. Her kid won't go near her, Emma treats her like crap, you hate her-"

"I don't hate her."

"Aw bullshit! Nobody is that perfect. You can't possibly be as good as that, to forgive her after what she's done to you."

"I can because I've known her a long time and I've always been on her side. She taught me something very important when I was little. She showed me a selfless goodness and I took it to heart. She saved my life - she _changed_ my life. I took something precious from her and because of me she lost not just her love but her hope and freedom as well. I may not be able to forgive her actions but I will never give up on _her_. She's family."

Em stared at her in wonder, unsure if this paragon of goodness and forgiveness really existed and if they were actually related for real.

"But you still don't want her and Emma together, right?"

"That's up to Emma and Regina."

"Yeah right. All you gotta do is give the Mother's Stamp of Disapproval and it'll be over. Like Emma's gonna want to choose between you."

Mary Margaret smiled a little, hearing Em say the exact words that Emma already had. "I'm not going to make her choose."

"What about me and -" Em broke off, feeling a painful jolt just at the thought of her.

"I saw your face when you two came back from your date the other night. Sweetheart, if Regina makes Emma as happy as Ri makes you …" Mary Margaret sighed. "I'd do anything for Emma and so would your father. We made a choice that affected your whole life. You missed out on a lot as a child and I won't stand in the way of my daughter's happiness ever again."

Em balled up her fists and pressed them into her eyes. "It doesn't matter anyway. She hates me now."

"Ri?!"

"I didn't mean for things to go that far. She asked me to take her away, I guess I just got the wrong idea."

Mary Margaret tried to contain a huge smile and failed. The whole conversation had been like a deja vu of the one she'd already had with Emma.

"I'm not so sure you were wrong, Em. I think the Regina's are holding out on you two..."


	20. Point of view

**Double Trouble 20 **

**Chapter 20 'Point of view'**

"That'd look good on you." Emma's voice was low and she was standing very close behind the slight form of a familiar brunette who apparently hadn't detected her presence yet.

Regina jumped visibly and rolled her eyes in recognition. She kept her attention firmly focused on the rack of clothes she was looking through without turning around.

"Anything would," said Regina archly. "Exhibiting your random magical talent I see. Am I about to regret answering my phone?"

"Where's Ri?"

"In the change room."

Emma went around to stand in Regina's line of sight. "Em is at home moping all day, I'm checking my phone every five minutes to see if you've deigned to answer any one of my messages... and you two are here, shopping at Miss Muffet's Teen Boutique?"

"She wanted a dress."

"_That's_ your big cure for her broken heart, Regina?!"

Regina looked annoyed. "If it makes her feel better then why does it matter?"

"Because. Shopping is stupid."

"I'm not at all surprised to hear you say that," said Regina, making an obvious show of looking Emma up and down. "Given your complete lack of attention to matters of appearance."

"Thanks. As if I haven't noticed you checking out my ass," said Emma immaturely. "What'd you mean before on the phone about Ri getting overwhelmed?"

Regina ignored the question and went over to look at some other dresses Ri would like. "How's Em?"

"How do you think she is?" said Emma sarcastically. She shrugged and let her arms slap against her sides. Seeing her younger self so depressed was a disheartening reminder of what her life used to be like and Regina's casual treatment of the question was grating.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

"She's hurt of course! Do you think someone who's never been loved before - by anyone - can just brush that off easily? She put herself out there and got rejected."

"That's not what happened."

"Uh yeah it was. Em told her she loved her and Ri got upset and disappeared. That sounds like a rejection to me - and I would know."

Regina pinned her with a fierce gaze. "I told you-"

"-what, to never speak of it again? Yeah well, you should've made it a promise instead of a threat, Regina. You can't keep Henry away from me any more, so now I have no incentive to shut up just because you want me to."

"My son was taken from me," hissed Regina at a whisper, glancing around the near empty shop. "By you. Now you're keeping him away from _me_."

"Even if I was it'd be exactly what you were doing to me last year. You just don't like the game when you're not winning... But I'm not keeping him from you! We're having this argument over and over, fighting over our kid. I thought we were getting somewhere the other day at your place. We need to talk. I can't keep doing this."

"Of course you can't," sneered Regina.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma glared at her, waiting for an answer but of course she didn't get one.

What was with the two of them? Things could be calm one minute and a squall at the next. In coming to find Regina she hadn't intended to start an argument. They hadn't seen each other since the other night, when they'd caught Em and Ri together, and the unspoken implications for their own relationship were awkward as hell. Despite what'd happened, fixing the teens seemed to be the easier of the two right now.

Their staring contest was broken when Ri appeared near them. Emma's head whipped around at the younger version of Regina and her jaw dropped seeing the girl's new outfit.

When Ri spoke she was subdued and cheerless. "Hi Emma."

"You are so not wearing that," said Emma, staring at the teen in awe.

"You don't like it?"

Emma shook her head slowly. "It's-"

Ri had on a knee-length light-coloured dress with a black lace overlay. It was strapless and cut straight across her front, the tight boned-fabric followed her waist in a V until it flared into the skirt. She had on tights for warmth and a pair of ballet flats that Emma knew couldn't possibly belong to Regina, who she'd never seen wear anything other than heels (even when she'd twisted her damn ankle, the stubborn woman).

Regina handed her credit card to Ri and told her to go to the counter to pay for the dress and instructed her to sign her name.

"You can't get her to sign for you," said Emma snippily.

Regina gave her a patronising look. "She's_ me_. It's hardly identity fraud, Sheriff."

"You can't let her wear that!"

"Why not."

Emma stammered. "It's like - it's - it looks like - it's a corset! It's showing her off- she's too young. She's gonna freeze outside."

"It's not a corset, it's a bodice. She picked it and I am not going to tell her she can't have it. You're being ridiculous. I can't decide if you're acting jealous or over-protective."

"Regina," growled Emma. "She's a young girl. You think it's ok for her to walk around like that and be ogled by every guy in town?"

"How is it her fault if men can't keep their eyes away? I wore far more revealing outfits than that, I assure you."

"Yeah, when you were the Queen and you had power and protection, not when you were-"

"-actually yes, when I was her age."

"Yeah great. So we should just encourage her to believe that her beauty and marriage value is all there is to her. Let's just water the seeds your mother planted then! Did you learn to use it to your advantage early?"

Regina smiled humourlessly. "You don't understand that world at all do you? You use whatever you have... you go as far as it takes."

Emma snorted. "We are not _there_ anymore. We're here, in the real world where things make a bit more sense-"

"Not for much longer if the border keeps shrinking."

"I need your help with that-" Emma hissed.

"Why don't you ask Mr Gold? Perhaps he can help give you evidence of my guilt since apparently I'm responsible for everything that goes awry in Storybrooke. Have you any other unsolved crimes to blame me for, Sheriff? A burglary or maybe even a murder? Allow me to suggest 'Regina Mills in the conservatory with the wrench'. Clue was a favourite of Henry's." Regina's sass was at full-strength. "He can teach you how to logically assign blame if your detective skills are lacking."

"I'm not blaming you for it, I need your help!" Emma shoved her frustration deep down and became solemn. "Regina, in all seriousness Ri was really upset about what happened and she's still torturing herself over casting the curse. I'm worried for her. I need to know _how far she'd go_ to try to prevent it."

"That won't occur to her."

Emma was partially relieved. "I hope you know yourself that well."

Regina shook her head with reproach, although it was hard to tell if it was for her self or others. "She won't even think of such a thing. She'll destroy everyone around her but not herself. Her life doesn't belong to her and it's not hers to control. She still thinks that her parents hold custody of it until she gets married and after that she'll belong to her husband."

Emma gritted her teeth and mumbled something under her breath that sounded like 'fuck that'. "This world might suck, but that one sucked worse. For you at least."

With that derailing of her vindictiveness, Regina seemed to be taken aback by the apparent empathy for her past.

They both spoke suddenly at the same time. "Emma, we should-"

"Regina, can we-"

They were interrupted when Ri came back holding the store bag, still wearing her new dress and a dove grey pea-coat of Regina's. She handed the credit card back to her older self and glanced at the tense adults who had hastily stopped talking, looking from one to the other.

"Is something wrong?" said Ri.

Emma softened her tone. "Ri, are you ok? The other night you were pretty upset."

Ri tried to smile but it was watery and thin. "I'm fine. Is Em-"

"She misses you."

Ri's eyes filled with tears. "I miss her too. Emma, are you really mad at me for what I did?"

"No, Ri -"

She didn't get the rest out because Ri threw her arms around her in a hug. The few times that Emma had gotten to hug Regina she was so stiff and reluctant that it was a fight to get to hold her. Even though Ri was much more pliant and it wasn't quite the same, she still felt the same urge to protect the girl in her arms that she did with the older version.

Ri sighed. "Oh, you feel so much like her... almost. I'm so sorry I hurt Em! I didn't mean to, I - what's that phrase she uses for overreacted?"

"Freaked out."

"Yes! That's it. Where I'm from, girls aren't supposed to do what I did. Not if they ever hope to get married. I was afraid of what would happen."

Emma stroked her cheek gently. "It's ok if you're scared. Em's just - she didn't know and she's scared too."

Ri looked down shyly. "I am scared. It feels like there's something wrong with my heart that time doesn't fix."

Emma opened her mouth out of curiosity but before she could ask, Regina interrupted. "Emma, it's nearly three-thirty. You have to go pick up Henry."

"Er, can you get him today? I want to talk to Ri for a sec."

Regina schooled her expression tightly, hiding the surprise that flashed across her face. "But he'll be expecting you."

"He's been asking for you since you left the other night," said Emma pointedly.

Regina didn't need to be offered it twice and she was out the door in seconds, leaving a handprint on Emma's shoulder as she ran out. That tiny hint of a truce made Emma smile long after she was gone. She knew Regina was desperate for time with Henry but wasn't going to force it if the boy was still reluctant to be around her. Hearing that he had missed her and wanted to see her must've given her hope that the relationship between mother and son was on the mend. No matter what Regina thought, Emma wasn't barring her from being with Henry.

They left the shop soon after Regina did and headed home. Ri couldn't help her giggles however, trying and failing to hide them behind her hands as she snuck glances at Emma.

"What," said Emma, sending a sly smile sideways at the teen.

Ri grinned coyly. "She likes you. Do you like her?"

"Careful, Ri, you're gonna get busted for insider trading."

Ri stopped her and cupped a hand over Emma's ear so she could whisper something.

"Is that so?" said Emma, breaking a smile.

Ri nodded fervently and pressed her lips to Emma's in a chaste kiss.

"Ri -"

"I know. I'm not the right one, I'm not your Regina. I just didn't want you to forget."

Emma sighed. "Trust me, I haven't."

"Don't give up. You're closer than you think."

Emma was warmed by the sweet girl's words, she was heartbroken herself and yet she still had enough heart left to care for others. She really wanted Ri to understand one more thing before they went back to Em.

"Ri. You're a beautiful girl and the dress is pretty but that's not why we like you... our favourite parts are _here_-" Emma tapped Ri's forehead and then laid one fingertip lightly over her heart.

"-and here. Getting married isn't as important as being loved by someone who knows how truly lucky they are to have you."

Ri's smile filled her whole face and for the first time Emma noticed a physical difference between hers and Regina's - there was no scar on her upper lip.

* * *

Standing outside the school gates among the throng of parents, Regina was highly annoyed at herself for feeling apprehensive. She wasn't bothered by the looks she got from some of the peasants though, it was her own son who was the reason. He hadn't lived with her for months and in that time he'd seen far more of her bad side than her good side - if she even had one. No wonder he avoided her, he was probably scared of her.

Things had been fractured between them for a while before Emma turned up in Storybrooke and then it had hurt _so much_ to be replaced in favour of his "real" mother. Of course Emma would be the favourite, the fun one, the partner-in-crime who snuck around with him behind her back. Good heroic Emma. The Saviour.

Regina could hardly compete with that.

But she was his mother too and she'd thought that Henry had seen good in her in all the time he'd been with her. Maybe it was nothing compared to finding out that she was the Evil Queen though. Defending her would be a huge burden for a child, she knew that, but when Henry continually brushed her off despite her efforts to change she couldn't deny that it'd hurt worse than anything the others had done or said to her.

It was jarring that Emma had essentially given her permission to collect her own son from school today, but at this point Regina would take it. She was afraid of seeing Henry's reaction though, in case his face fell in disappointment or he refused to go with her. What if he-

"Hey, Mom. What are you doing here?" Henry appeared at her side, wearing his school backpack.

Regina twitched and had to stop herself from going to hug him, knowing better than to embarrass him in front of all the other children.

"I came to pick you up."

"Where's Emma?"

Regina smiled tightly. "With Ri. How was school?"

"Okay I guess."

They started walking away from the school but Henry wasn't satisfied with silence when he was dying to know the answers to questions Emma hadn't been able to give.

"Mom, what happened the other night? Everyone left and then you and Ri didn't come back. Em's really sad all the time and Emma's been cranky and she keeps hogging all the icecream. I don't know what's going on. Why is everyone upset?"

Regina was a bit gobsmacked by the barrage of awkward questions, not knowing how to answer.

Henry gave her his lopsided look. "Let me guess. You and Emma had a fight and so did Ri and Em."

"Ri and Em will work things out. It was just a misunderstanding."

"What about you and Emma?" said Henry slyly.

"That's different, that's -" Regina broke off, trying to hide it but she could see that her son wasn't buying it.

"Grownup stuff?"

Things between her and Emma were so undefined right now, she wasn't sure quite where they were at. They were strangely close but there always seemed to be something holding them back. As usual, the major cause of tension between them was disagreeing over their son but perhaps once that linchpin fell they could start to work on their relationship - whatever that was. Regina was not ready to have that talk with Henry though, she wasn't even sure if she was ready to talk about it with Emma.

"Mom, can I ask you ... What if someone does something bad but it's for a good reason, is the person still bad?"

Regina frowned, wondering if he was talking about Mary Margaret's treachery. The reminder of her mother's death pained her.

"What if they did something really bad like casting a curse, but everything turns out ok in the end. What if it ends up better than it was before? Are they still bad then?"

"Sweetheart, I didn't cast the curse for a good reason," admitted Regina, feeling mixed pain and hope at how her son was trying to rationalise what his mother had done.

"I know. You were trying to take away the happy endings. But in the book nobody actually got their happy ending in the first place! Cinderella lost her prince, Dreamy lost Nova, Princess Abigail lost Frederik, Rumpelstiltzskin lost Belle-"

"Henry-"

"-you lost Daniel, and Snow White and Prince Charming lost each other too."

Regina winced. "Not for long."

"It seems like no-one was really happy there. But in this world maybe the happy endings are possible, everyone has another chance. Including you."

"I can't-"

"Sure you can. You did bad things but it's all going to turn out ok, I know it. You've always been good, sorta, I just didn't see it before. Emma gets it cos she used to be bad too. But she's the Saviour, she's here to bring back the happy endings. Maybe she'll help you get yours."

Regina smiled widely in spite of herself, thinking about Emma. Even when she was Em she hadn't been "bad" on the same scale that Regina had been, no matter how hard Henry tried to connect them. She hadn't missed her son's transparent attempts at matchmaking either, of course a child would want his parents to be together, but maybe he was right. In a way, perhaps the curse _would_ give her a happy ending after all. Was it really possible?

"You look just like her right now," said Henry, peering at his mother knowingly.

"Who?"

"Ri. You have the same smile."

* * *

"Em," said Mary Margaret in a firm voice that stopped the teen in her tracks as she headed for the door. "It's getting late, it's cold, and you are not going out."

"You can't tell me what to do," Em muttered stubbornly under her breath. But even so, she didn't leave. Instead she scuffed her feet and went over to plop on the couch roughly.

The front door to the apartment opened shortly after, revealing Emma and Ri. From the couch, Em took one glance at them before looking away in another direction, studiously ignoring them all.

Mary Margaret greeted them both from her position at the stove. "Ri honey, it's wonderful to see you back! You two must be freezing, come in and get warm. Hot chocolate'll be a second, Emma. I'm just waiting for the milk to boil. Do you want some too, Ri?"

Ri glanced at Em before answering. "Can I have mine plain with vanilla?"

"Do you want cinnamon with your hot chocolate, Em?" asked Mary Margaret, without getting an answer so she asked again more sternly. "Em, I asked you a question."

"_No_, I do _not_ want hot chocolate," said Em, stroppy at being forced to talk.

Emma placed a comforting hand on Ri's arm when the teen's face fell at getting the cold shoulder. Despite missing Ri desperately, her younger self was still smarting from what happened the other night and Emma was worried about what she might say to Ri before she got over it. She knew it was up to them to work it out, but she was half tempted to keep Ri away until she was certain Em was finished with her black mood.

"Nice dress, Ri," said Em snootily. "Where'd you get it - the Evil Queen's closet?"

Hurt flashed across Ri's face more at the tone used than the content. "No. I got it from a shop. At home it takes a week to wait for the dressmaker but here they have dresses ready-made. There were so many to choose from too."

Em crossed her arms grumpily and slouched further down the couch. She was determined not to look at her, figuring it was a trick to get her attention.

"Well, I bet half of Storybrooke enjoys the view."

"I'm not wearing it for anyone else," said Ri haughtily. "For your information, Em, this is the first dress I've ever worn that wasn't picked out by Mother. I chose it myself so I don't care if you don't like it because _I do_."

Em merely picked up her aviator sunnies from the coffee table and replaced her glasses with the reflective shades.

Ri went with Emma to sit at the kitchen bench and when the drinks were ready, Mary Margaret placed the mugs in front of them.

"Mm, you sure you don't want chocolate in it, Ri?" said Emma, cupping her hot drink gratefully. "And cinnamon?"

"No, I like it this way." Ri took a sip of the hot milk and felt the warmth suffuse her from inside.

"Plain vanilla? Boring," teased Emma.

Mary Margaret reached over to swat Emma's shoulder playfully. "Leave her alone, you!"

"I love vanilla," said Ri quietly.


	21. Everything

**Double Trouble 21**

**A/N: **I know there's a lot of sad feelings around at the moment so I hope you enjoy this, swen. I'll going back to updating twice a week from now on because I hope to have the story finished before S3 starts. Thanks to all readers who have supported this story so far.

* * *

**Chapter 21 'Everything'**

Emma woke up cold in her single bed in the living room. It was the middle of the night and all was silent in the apartment. Em, Ri, and Henry were fast asleep in the beds to her left and right, and Regina was sleeping in Emma's bedroom by herself again.

Last evening, Regina had brought Henry back after school but she must've assumed that she would only be dropping him off before returning to her home. That was until Mary Margaret swiftly recruited her to help rescue dinner because _"Emma is as much trouble in the kitchen as my husband"_.

After the whole family had eaten together, Regina wasn't allowed to leave then either:

_Henry pestered her, "Mom! I need help with my homework. It's due tomorrow..."_

_"Can you have a look at this, Regina?" asked David. "The Acting Mayor sent this memo thing over to the Sheriff's station. Emma said it was full of sh- ah, nonsense- but she says that about all memos..."_

_"Regina!" Ri pleaded before bedtime. "Can you braid my hair, I can't do it myself yet..."_

The Emma's were the only ones not to _ask_ her to stay.

Everything was starting to catch up with Emma now. She was worried about the girls not talking to each other and how Regina was feeling and wondering to herself what was going on between them (if anything). She was worried about whether Henry was coping with this whole screwed up family situation. Mary Margaret's safety still niggled at her mind, as well as what her parents thought of her and what they thought of Em, and then there was this Storybrooke-shrinking time-travel weirdness going on...

She knew it'd all fall on her shoulders to figure this out. Everyone expected her to be the Saviour and it was hard living up to this perfect person they thought she was, when in reality she was a bit of a mess. If she was truly honest with herself she felt like running from it all. Her usual strategy was no longer an option.

"Screw this," she mumbled to herself and threw off her covers since they weren't doing their job.

Emma got out of bed and padded softly into her bedroom. With all the stealth of a practiced thief she opened the door quietly and crept in...

… and then promptly stubbed her toe on the leg of the bed frame with a thump.

"Ow fff-!" Emma gritted her teeth and silently screamed through the throbbing pain.

In the same instant, Regina jerked awake with a gasp. In the dim darkness, Emma saw the brunette's hand thrown out reflexively and feared that she was about to be made into toast.

"Wait! It's just me," hissed Emma in a hasty whisper. "Don't fireball me!"

Regina let her hand fall and breathed out in a relief that quickly changed to annoyance. "Emma. I'm not fond of surprises, especially ones that appear in the dead of night. What are you doing in my bedroom?"

"It's _my_ bedroom. I'm cold, I came to get my blanket."

"With the amount of noise you're making blundering about in the dark I'm shocked you were ever a successful thief," said Regina at a half-whisper.

"I'm not using magic right now. That would kinda defeat the purpose."

"What do you mean?" asked Regina, asking not for the first time how much control Emma had over her abilities.

"I can't calm down. I need my blanket."

"Is it that knitted thing with purple ribbon? Em took it to bed with her."

Emma sighed tiredly. "She hasn't seen it in ages. I suppose she needs it more than I do tonight."

"What are you looking for now?" asked Regina, since Emma was still moving around the shadowy room, searching for something.

"My bed socks."

Regina's smile wasn't seen in the dark but it was heard in her voice. "They're in the bed ... on my feet."

Emma let out a pathetic grumble before padding to the door resignedly. "Alright. Sorry I woke you, Regina."

She heard the covers rustle as Regina sat up in bed. "Wait, Emma, don't go. Is it cold out in the living room?"

"The kids are fine."

"_You're_ cold. This room is warmer and it's your bed anyway."

Emma rolled her eyes, even though she knew it wouldn't be seen. "I'm not kicking you out, Regina."

"I have no intention of moving."

It took Emma a few seconds to realise what that meant and then it dinged in her mind when she did. Ok, that could be a hint couldn't it? she thought. Regina was pretty much suggesting that she should get in bed with her. Or was she? It was hard to tell with the ever-inscrutable woman. But she didn't want to read too much into it in case she got it wrong again, what if this time she-

"Emma! Either get in bed before you freeze so we can both get some sleep or I _will_ fireball you. That'll definitely warm you up."

Sleeping together... that was definitely a hint. Emma's heart skipped with flutters of hope.

* * *

In the morning when Emma awoke she was laying face-down and half on top of Regina like a starfish. At first she'd gotten in the bed gingerly and kept to her own side, expecting to be kicked out at any minute. They'd lain side-by-side silently for a while until falling back asleep. But during the night she'd somehow managed to take up most of the bed and the blankets and captured her bed-mate possessively with an arm slung over her waist.

"R'gina, how long y' been awake," Emma groaned into her pillow sleepily.

"Not long."

"Both of y' are freaks. Henry's always up early too."

"He gets up to watch cartoons."

"You ok?" asked Emma. She rolled over to face her, lying on her side and stuffing her hands under her pillow.

"With what."

"Ev'rythin."

Regina paused, seeming as though unsure how to answer. She was smoothing the covers laying across her middle and Emma couldn't take her eyes off her hands.

"Did you get to talk to Ri the last few days? Did it help?" asked Emma.

Regina nodded slightly.

"Good."

"Emma, what did you mean last night. When you said you couldn't calm down?"

"Oh. Yeah, that's weird. It's better this morning for some reason. Sometimes magic builds up and I feel like my control starts to slip away. That's why Em's a bit random sometimes. The blanket usually helps, I don't know why."

"Your mother made it for you didn't she," said Regina.

"How'd you know?"

"I saw the embroidery. It's made of fairyshot, it absorbs the love and care it's made with. What's upsetting you?"

Em raised her shoulders lying down like a shrug. "I don't know what to do about the border shrinking or about Em and Ri. But I feel like I should apologise for what my idiot younger self did to yours."

"Don't be too hard on Em. Ri told me she wanted to be with her."

"Yeah, but she ended up getting hurt. Em went way too far, I doubt Ri was ready for that."

"You have to stop thinking of her as a victim, Emma."

"Huh? But she's about to -"

"Yes, I know what you want to say. But I'm sick of being labelled, I don't want to trade one label for another. Villain or victim - everything I do and think and feel doesn't come back to one thing. It was a long time ago. I don't even think of it that much anymore."

Emma looked at her skeptically, trying to read her face. "Are you sure? It's just - I can't think of you being hurt like that."

"I think you're imagining worse than it was. I didn't really know what it was supposed to be like and it was distressing and I didn't want it but -" Regina's voice broke.

Emma reached for her hand and she was surprised that Regina didn't pull away this time. She felt fingers slide between hers as they were laced together. Was this really Regina talking about some of her worst memories and letting her in? She always seemed to let emotions rule her judgment but at the same time she had a strictly controlled facade of power and untouchability. The Mayor had always given as good as she'd gotten and then some … but here she was now, showing vulnerability instead of that impervious wall.

Emma had never noticed before how small the brunette actually was, lying in bed beside her as they faced each other with their hands joined between them.

"It's ok to not be ok," said Emma softly.

"I was sick with grief over losing Da-" Regina's voice evaporated on the name and she closed her eyes briefly. "Snow was pestering me every five seconds to go riding. My father couldn't even look at me and my mother was making everything worse as she always did. I was so angry all the time, she was driving me crazy. Even after I had the ring and the crown I _still _couldn't do anything right."

Emma gave her hand a squeeze, pained by the bitterness in Regina's tone as she spoke about the past and the mother who had made her feel like she was never good enough. Thinking of poor Ri having to deal with all of that alone flooded her with sympathy. Emma knew what it was like to nurse a broken heart alone and how much worse everything in life seemed against that as a backdrop.

"Without her heart she couldn't love me," said Regina bitterly. "All she had was power and ambition. It made her dangerous. I never wanted that power but I became like her anyway."

"I'm sorry about what happened to your mother. You're not like her, you know? You aren't heartless."

"Yes, I'm dangerous for an entirely different reason."

"You don't have to be," Emma whispered and stroked her thumb across the back of Regina's hand. "Knowing Ri the way I do now I'll never understand how your mother was ever disappointed in her."

Regina smiled. "Em is a good girl too. I don't know that you believe that though."

"I used to think that there had to be a reason they gave me away, I figured there was something wrong with me and they knew it even when I was a baby and that's why they didn't want me."

"Give your mother some time and she'll get those thoughts out of your head I'm sure."

"I sorta told her some stuff about me that I thought she wouldn't want to hear, but she just listened."

"Did you really expect differently from Snow White?"

Emma chuckled to herself as a Disney vision popped into her head. "True. She didn't really abandon me did she? She was just trying to save me from some evil witch."

"Excuse me?" Regina objected sternly.

"You disguised yourself pretty well as an old hag in the movie by the way," teased Emma.

"That movie was a grossly inaccurate and obscenely biassed portrayal. It ought to be rated M for Moronic."

Emma started to laugh. "Oh I'm DYING to watch it with you just to see your face! Has Henry got it on DVD? Where's his laptop, we can download it right now-"

Regina's hand darted under the covers to jab Emma in the ribs and she flinched away.

"Hey, I was just being a smartass- Ah, stop!"

"No. You deserve it."

Emma tried to stop the uncomfortable jabs. "Regin- argh, cut it out!"

"Make me."

Emma tried to squirm away but there was nowhere to escape under the tangled sheets so she made a grab for Regina's hands to stop the attack. The brunette merely wore her trademark 'I'm winning' grin until Emma protected her ribs effectively by laying on top of her and pinning her hands above her head.

"Whatrya gonna do now?" mocked Emma.

"What do you think," said Regina dryly.

"I think you're stuck where you are."

"Is that so?"

Emma just raised her eyebrows and after a few seconds she saw a classic "oh shit" look spring into Regina's face as nothing happened. She knew the other woman never intended to lose this fight and would probably try to blast her across the room if it came to it but she wasn't going to let her succeed.

"Problem?" said Emma innocently.

"My magic!" gasped Regina. "What are you doing? _How_ are you doing that?"

"Just evening up the battlefield a little."

"I hate your magic."

"Yep. I suck."

Emma saw Regina's eyes dart to her lips and felt all too aware of where she was lying, pressed atop a warm pyjama-clad body and their faces only inches apart. Time seemed to stand still and before she knew what was happening she leaned in to graze full lips with hers. The brief contact sent desire racing through her but suddenly a memory or two cut through the fog.

"Wait-" Emma breathed, a tiny distance away from parted lips.

"Emma-"

"I can't do this."

Regina sighed. "Then get off me."

Emma let go of Regina's hands and pushed her weight off to hover above her. "I shouldn't have - I can't believe this happened again. I'm sorry."

"You will be."

"W-what," Emma stammered. She examined Regina's lowered eyes carefully, expecting to see anger but there was none, she actually looked ... hurt.

Emma's jaw dropped in shock. "Oh my god. You _wanted_ me to kiss you."

The realisation had Emma reeling - Regina wanted her after all. That must be why she was encouraging the romance between the girls, she _did_ want it for herself. But things were always so tense between them, especially after what happened the night of the KidSpace opening party. Regina had practically thrown her out on her ass because of that kiss. Emma hadn't been brave enough or stupid enough to try anything again, but apparently Regina wanted her too.

"H-how long, Regina? I mean, after what happened last time I kissed you I thought - "

"I regretted it as soon as I closed the door."

"Are you seriously kidding me right now? Why didn't you say anything? Or ask me - or kiss _me _- or - or something! After all this time -"

"I got overwhelmed," Regina admitted. "I felt so much, I couldn't stand it. I wasn't sure I wanted to go through it again, but now I don't know if I can live without it anymore."

"But last year … um, you tried to kill me?"

"It didn't matter what I felt, I had to stop you from breaking the curse. Everything was falling apart. I couldn't lose Henry."

"Yeah, but maybe we could've -"

Regina shook her head once firmly. "No. If we'd gotten together back then ... as soon as the curse broke, we would've lost it anyway. You would've blamed me for everything, for keeping the truth from you. You'd have hated me for it when you found out who I was. I'd have lost you both."

Realisation dawned on Emma. "That's what you meant after the _first_ time I kissed you, when you said we couldn't be in a relationship..."

"Yes," Regina sighed. "It wasn't because of what you thought. I let you believe that. And then when you kissed me the night of the party... well, after two rejections I really didn't think you'd try again."

"So, what does this mean for us now?" said Emma, full of nerves but trying to cover it casually.

"If we … Emma, I can't _half_ do this," Regina warned.

Emma exhaled in relief. "Good, cos I'm an all-or-nothing kinda girl."

"I don't think you understand -"

"No, I do," Emma nodded, feeling the import of what they were considering. "There's so much at stake, it's not only us that we're risking here, it's our son too. Our family."

"It's not just Henry, there's something else -"

They were interrupted then by a little knock on the bedroom door and both women straightened up to put a respectable distance back between them. Emma was instantly wary, wondering if it would be one of her parents and how things would look. She shot a perturbed glance at the unfazed brunette in bed next to her.

"It's Henry," said Regina, recognising the little taps.

Emma groaned just as the door opened and an eleven-year-old poked his head around.

"Emma! You _are_ in here. Mary Margaret said to knock first, isn't that really weird? You were gone from your bed when I woke up. Did you and Mom sleep together?"

"Wha-?" Emma croaked in response.

Regina's eyes darted at her warningly and she shook her head minutely, indicating that Henry hadn't meant it like that. The boy's questions was entirely innocent. Why Mary Margaret was running interference raised suspicions as to what her former enemy knew and how much.

Henry came in and dove over Emma's quilt-covered legs and landed in the space between his mothers. He buried himself into Regina's arms and received a kiss to his forehead.

"Good morning, Henry. Did you sleep well?" said Regina, sounding relieved that he hadn't squirmed away yet.

"Mmhm. Why are you both in here?" Henry mumbled into his Mom's pyjamas.

"Emma was cold," explained Regina, sending her a smirk over the boy's head.

"Did Mom warm you up, Emma?"

Emma's eyes widened and she glared at Regina, who was merely amused by the whole line of questioning. The woman was stunning when she looked like that, even just woken up. Emma longed to mess her up a bit and see some of that perfection disrupted, preferably involving swollen lips and breathlessness and mussed up hair and -

"Yes, Emma. Do you feel warmer now?" asked Regina, all fake innocence.

"I - I think it's time for Fruit Loops," managed Emma. "Kid, you have to get ready for school."

Henry groaned. "We're making birdhouses. Again."

"Then I'm sure you're really good at it by now. I gotta go to work and do y'know Sheriff-y stuff."

"Not today."

Emma frowned. "Why."

Henry lifted his head off Regina's shoulder and peered at her with one eye open. "Cos you and Mom are going to go find the border."


	22. You and me

**Double Trouble 22 **

**Chapter 22 "You and me"**

"David, we have a problem," his wife informed him. She propped her hands on her hips and squinted down at David's desk at the Sheriff's station like he was a misbehaving student of hers.

"Mar. Don't start." David said warningly.

"This is a disaster."

"Yeah, I saw who came out of who's bedroom this morning too. But I'm sure Emma knows what she's doing. I doubt she'll want us poking our noses into this."

"What?" Mary Margaret stared at him in confusion and shook her head quickly as if to clear cobwebs. "What are you talking about David?"

"Er, Emma and Regina? What were _you_ talking about?"

Mary Margaret sighed. "The Acting Mayor quit. Apparently he's had a nervous breakdown."

"I thought you said he was doing a bad job of running things anyway?"

"Dismal. But the problem is we have no-one to step in. There's no-one in this town who is even remotely qualified."

"Maybe we could run things for a while, you and me?" suggested David.

"This isn't the Summer Kingdom, David! You and I are only experienced at swordfighting and trading sheep-for-wood in the five minutes we actually ruled before the curse came. We don't know how to organise things in _this_ world. We both have jobs of our own now."

"We're just going to have to make it work then. Somehow."

David's suspicions rose at the look that gleamed in Mary Margaret's eyes right now. It was familiar to him, more in his memories of her as the woodland princess rather than the schoolteacher, but it usually signalled a crazy idea. Like adding extra turrets to the West face, or asking the trolls nicely for a refund, or putting the baby in the magic wardrobe.

"There is one person here who is qualified to be Mayor," started Mary Margaret.

David raised his eyebrows incredulously. "_Regina?!_ You really want to give the keys to the city to the Evil Queen? You want to put your head back in the lion's mouth?"

"Yes."

"This is gonna be one of your ideas isn't it," said David ruefully.

Mary Margaret genuinely looked offended. "What's that supposed to mean, Charming? My ideas have always paid off in the past."

"Oh yeah? What about that time when you said we should go skinny dipping in Lake Nostos, the water that returns what was once _lost_? That was _not_ a good idea."

"Okay apart from that _one_ time, David," said the pixie-haired brunette, rolling her eyes. "You know I'm right about this."

"Regina might not even agree to it."

"True, but I know just the person to help us sell this idea. She won't be able to say no."

David sighed warningly. "Mar, that's kinda evil..."

"It's not evil if everyone's doing it."

* * *

_The woods_

"Are you going to enlighten me as to why we are _walking_ to the border like peasants?" said Regina, grimacing as her shoes bit it into her.

"Because we don't know where it is, Your Majesty, and I'm all out of pumpkin coaches," said Emma, trudging along beside her in the comfort of well-worn low-heeled boots that'd seen better days.

"Yes and why exactly does that preclude us from using either magic or a car?"

"If you use magic to transport us and we land outside the border we might not be able to get back inside with what's been happening. We don't know what will happen if you cross the border, Regina. At the very least you'll lose your magic."

"I created the town border. I'll be able to sense it when we get too close."

"Exactly. Hence the no driving thing."

Regina scrunched her face in irritation. "What?"

Emma shrugged. "Okay, I made that up. The border's not going anywhere - okay well, _it is_, but hopefully not that fast. If it is we're screwed anyway. I thought we'd walk so that - I just wanted to uh, talk to you."

"About what?"

Emma was watching the tarred road in front of her disappear under her feet with a gravelly crunch. She fidgeting with her gloved hands. "You and me ... and the younger you and me. They love each other, in fact they hit it off immediately. Why do you think that was?"

"Like you said," Regina paused. "They're us before life got in the way."

"Yeah, but when we were their age we hadn't even met, we were falling in love with other people and getting our hearts broken. They found each other before all that happened and they didn't fight about Henry like we did five seconds after we met because they don't even know. Everything comes back to our son."

Regina glared at her incredulously. "Are you _blaming_ Henry for the state of things between us?"

Emma was quick to clarify. "No! Of course not. It's so not his fault. But still, we were fighting because of him."

"So your thesis is that we would've fallen in- ... become romantically attached if not for that. Like the girls did? Even though we have nothing whatsoever in common and you are incredibly irritating in addition to being sartorially challenged."

Emma pursed her lips, hiding a grin at Regina's dodging of the L word. She wasn't fooling anyone trying to cover it up with half-hearted insults.

"Maybe," said Emma. "Things are a bit rough between them at the moment though. That feels kinda familiar."

"Do you think that's a coincidence?"

"What is?"

"That things are changing for us right after they start having problems?"

Emma cocked an eyebrow and gave her a side glance. "You mean, is there only enough room in the universe for _one_ Emma-and-Regina love story?"

Just the mention of that word startled Regina, enough that she scuffed her toe on rough gravel causing Emma to grab her elbow so she wouldn't stumble. The blonde used the opportunity to stop them both and turned to face her, standing only about a foot apart. She didn't call Regina out on her obvious reaction to the word that still hung in the air between them.

All was quiet this far out of town in the woods without even the sound of their footsteps. It was just them.

"How did Em and Ri get here in the first place?" wondered Regina, looking somewhere over Emma's shoulder into the peaceful verdure.

"It wasn't the Blue Fairy's do-over spell misfiring," said Emma confidently. "And I don't think she granted Henry's wish."

"Then what caused it? If not her incompetence."

"I think it was you and me. Our magic."

"I told you I didn't-"

"Not consciously. Not on purpose. I think we brought them here to save us. Separately and together we're both in trouble. They're not here so that we can save them and change the past... they're here to save _us_ so that we can change our future. We brought them here to show us who we are and who we can be together."

Regina rolled her eyes sarcastically at the sappy words. "If I'd chosen my rescuers they wouldn't have been a petty larcenist and a doe-eyed ingenue."

"Ri isn't as innocent as you might think. She knows enough about the world to be frightened of it. That's wise. The world is crap."

"And Em never takes what anyone can't stand to lose. A noble thief."

All it took was one look at Regina's sly grinning face and Emma burst into laughter. They were both full of it.

Despite the fact that they had originated from Fairytale Land at different times, they'd both exhibited typical teenage personalities: snarky Em was a girl-crazy brat who never met a rule she couldn't bend and kind-hearted Ri was obsessed with clothes and desperately wishing for her first kiss.

They'd grown up now but the years behind them were stained. Both of them had been used and abused by life, then chewed up and spat out as a mess. Everybody expected them to just clean themselves up and get on with being good.

_Well. Fuck that,_ thought Emma.

"The world failed us both, Regina," said Emma, staring intently into her face. She took the Regina's hands in both of hers, feeling their warmth even through the leather. "It's time to take back what's ours. Our tragic teenage romance isn't over yet."

Regina started to shake her head a little. "You said yourself that too much has happened for us to be together?"

"I lied. Adults can have pretty tragic romances too. Look at you and me. Our relationship has been a total disaster from the start."

"We can't-"

"Actually, we can. I can make things happen remember? We deserve another chance."

"You weren't so willing to give me another chance the other day," Regina pointed out.

Emma paced a few steps backward and let her arms fall to her sides with a slap. "That's because - come on, you gotta know why, Regina!" she growled.

"I can't read your mind."

"I was hurt cos of how I feel about you and after what happened the night of the KidSpace party I thought it was all one-sided and that sucked hard..."

Emma sighed roughly. "Anyway. Um, I don't really do the relationship thing. Ever. Feeling nothing is a pretty attractive option when what you feel sucks but after a while it gets old. I never stuck around anywhere long enough to … I dunno, it just never seemed to work out or I'd start to want to move on to a new place. When I came here ... well, it's a small town, people talk, everybody knows me cos I'm Sheriff. I couldn't exactly have a one-night stand with some random and have it get back to Henry. Or you. Spose it's a good thing I didn't since I might've slept with someone who turned out to be Goldilocks or whoever."

Regina actually growled possessively. "That trollop? Yes, she'd have found you 'just right' I'm sure."

Emma was delighted by what that little drop of jealousy might mean. It made her wonder just how long Regina had been holding out on her.

"Ever since we met I..." Emma smiled sheepishly. "Well, you were pissing me off all the time and I knew you hated my guts so it was kinda er, embarrassing as hell to realise I was attracted to you."

"Of course."

"Hey! Do you mean 'of course I'd be attracted to you' or 'of course I oughta be embarrassed'?"

Regina smirked and ignored the question. "Go on. I believe you were saying how attractive I am?"

"Cute. Not funny, but cute," said Emma wryly. "I had to see you all the time because of Henry and because you were always involved in everything that was going on. Sometimes when we'd fight you'd be looking at me like - I dunno, I actually thought you were gonna kiss me that day at the mine. But I figured I was just seeing what I wanted to see. Especially after you told me to get lost once Henry was safe. I never intended to make a move on you or anything."

"So you changed your mind and decided to declare your affections for me?"

"Hardly. I think I _lost_ my mind. Ugh, I dunno. The first time, I got caught up in trying to comfort you. But you kissed me back so I thought maybe you did feel something. The second time was a different thing. We were getting on great the whole night of the party and then talking in your study with the wine and the fireplace ... What was I supposed to think? That's the best date I've been on in ages."

"You are easily pleased then. I'll remember that."

Emma brightened. "Hey, was that you asking me out on a date?"

"No." Regina rolled her eyes. "If I had you would certainly know it. But you are sorely mistaken if you think I could be satisfied with only _one_."

* * *

The teens had been left alone together in the apartment today, which should've been an opportunity for them to work things out but it wasn't happening so far. They still weren't talking and it was getting awkward for everyone now that the Regina's were back under the same roof with the whole family. Ri had tried a few times to talk to Em, but all the bratty blonde did was make a smartass retort or ignore her completely... and it was really pissing Ri off.

She didn't know why Em continued to be so cold to her, she'd caught Em looking at her sadly a few times like she was missing her. Why then was the other girl still being so stubborn?

Ri approached Em like one would a hurt animal, afraid of the rebuff she knew she'd get but willing to try again. The young brunette held out her hand where a shiny foil blister pack lay.

"Em? You need to take your medicine. Emma said to make sure you took the last one. She said that it's important to finish them all."

"Why."

Ri frowned. "So you don't get sick?"

"Who cares if I do," said Em sarcastically.

"Oh stop it!" Ri snapped. "Don't be so melodramatic. _I_ _care_ and of course the others do too. We've been here for over two weeks and if you can't see how much they all care about you then you're-"

"What, an idiot? Yeah, thanks Ri. I already know."

"That is _not_ what I was going to say."

Em crossed her arms and fell into the couch in a huff. She grabbed her aviator sunnies and then propped her feet up on the coffee table.

"Please Em, can we talk about what happened," said Ri, softening her voice.

"Fine. _Now_ you wanna talk? You coulda backed me up the other day when Emma was getting in my face basically accusing me of molesting you. It was your idea, Ri! You asked me to take you away … What was I supposed to think! You let me take the rap for all of it and then disappeared."

"I - I'm sorry, Em."

"Yeah well, whatever. I told you something I've never told anyone before. You don't feel the same way. It sucks hard, but I get it. Story of my life."

"Em-"

"_I said_ I get it, Ri!"

Ri shook her head, trying not to get upset. "If you'd listen to me maybe I could tell you! Of course I have feelings for you, Em, I - …No! I'm not going to tell you when we're shouting at each other. You don't deserve it right now."

Ri strode over to the front door and grabbed Mary Margaret's coat to put on.

"Where are you going," asked Em flatly.

"Mary Margaret said we could go out today."

"Yeah, she said '_we_'. She didn't mean that you could go by yourself and get run over, or lost, or befriended by the local psychopath."

"I'm not a child," said Ri haughtily. "Stop treating me like one."

Em looked at the floor. "Ri, I'm sorry. Don't go out alone, please? I don't want you to get hurt."

"As opposed to staying here where _you_ can continue to hurt me?"

As Ri turned and opened the door, she heard Em call out to her as she left. She was barely out of the apartment before she started to regret it. What was she thinking leaving by herself in this unfamiliar world! She'd never even left the estate before. She trusted the people who had been taking care of her here, but she did not trust herself to navigate her way alone through even a single day.

Ri was started to feel scared already, but there was one person she trusted more than anyone and the words she'd received like a parting gift now bolstered her courage:

_"I can find you in five seconds if you get in trouble, Ri. Don't be afraid!"_

* * *

After Ri left the apartment she started walking down Main street just for an excuse to get away. She hadn't intended to go very far before turning back but now she wasn't sure where she was. The landmarks were so strange here. All of the shops looked the same to her and there were so many of them.

Ri murmured to herself with a sigh. "I'm afraid I'm quite lost."

One of the shop signs caught her eye with a funny term she'd heard before. She stopped at the curb for a full five minutes this time before crossing the street, waiting to see if one of the amazingly fast horseless carriages was going to come and nearly collide with her again.

The bell rang as she pushed the door open so she could peer inside. This shop appeared to be full of artefacts and treasures.

"Hello, is anyone here?" called Ri. She went in and began looking around at the array of curiosities.

A smooth voice came from behind her. "You know what they say... profit in business comes from repeat customers."

Ri jumped and whirled around. A slight well-dressed man appeared, leaning on his silver tipped cane and smiling mildly at her. She wasn't used to greeting strangers and this man seemed well, threatening for lack of a more polite term - but then so did everybody. Whenever anyone came to the estate she was always carefully guarded by her mother or attendants. There'd been no opportunity to get used to different people.

"Sorry to intrude upon you like this but I need directions," said Ri, trying to hide how startled she was. "Can you help me?"

"Possibly, yes. I know who you are. Regina."

"Oh," Ri realised. "You must know me, the older me?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr Gold," said the man, with a flourish and a genteel bow. "But that is not how I know _you_, dearie. I knew your mother. I remember the day you were born. It rained, just like you will one day. I held you in my arms and I even gave you a gift."

Ri smiled bashfully, as if he were some kindly relative. "Indeed? Thank you but being an infant I have no memory of it."

Mr Gold paced around her slowly, never breaking his piercing gaze. "Perhaps you don't. But I thought your heart did not easily forget?"

Ri shrank a little. "H-how do you know that?"

"That's the beauty of my gift. I'll tell you if you tell me what you're doing here."

Ri gulped and accepted the bargain. "I had a fight with my girlfriend so I left home. Now I'm lost and I don't know how to get back. I need to put things right. Can you help me?"

Mr Gold gave her a crooked smile. "I'm only too happy to help and show you the way. But first, you are going to tell me what you are _really_ doing here."


	23. The mile

**Double Trouble 23**

**A/N:** Hi readers! Thanks as always for the reviews and the follows, I'm still amazed at the response to this story. Feels like we've been waiting forever for this particular chapter. I hope you enjoy :).

* * *

**Chapter 23 'The mile'**

Regina winced and leaned a hand on Emma's shoulder so she could pull off her boots. "You tell anyone I did this and I will eat your liver."

"Right," Emma scoffed. "Who knew the Evil Queen was such a whiner. Aren't you used to high heels? You live in them."

"What I am not used to is traipsing about in the woods for miles. It was your idea to park all the way back there and walk. I'm getting blisters. Give me your shoes."

"What!"

"Here, take mine and give me yours."

Emma groaned and bent over to pull at the zippers of her boots. "This is a test right? About whether I'll be a good girlfriend and chivalrously donate my shoes to your good cause? I am so incredibly screwed aren't I."

"Stop complaining. I wouldn't have even worn these if _someone_ hadn't stolen my favourite pair."

"Regina. Those would've been worse to walk this far in!"

"No. They're Prada, they look so good I wouldn't care. Yours on the other hand..." Regina handed her shoes over to Emma and then replaced them with the blonde's well-worn boots. "Don't tell anyone I wore these hideous flat things, it's embarrassing."

"Ha. No wonder you always wear heels. You're a shortass," teased Emma, from her lofty one-inch barefoot advantage. They were on the same level for the moment.

Regina was offended by the slight. "Excuse me? My mother always told me I was tall. Regal, in fact."

Emma fake-coughed the word "Short."

"You're being ridiculous, Emma. You're barely taller than I am."

"Don't care. All I'm hearing is 'I'm taller'. I win."

Emma grinned at the glare she received but her victory seemed short-lived. She grumbled under her breath as she pulled on the fashionable-but-uncomfortable boots formerly worn by Regina. Luckily they did fit but she would probably never admire them again.

"Regina," whined Emma, toeing her newly-shod feet to test them out. "I'm crap at walking in high heels. Can't you just magic some sensible footwear? Or are you trying to be hilarious and suggest that we literally walk a mile in each other's shoes? Because we are more than a mile away from where we're going, you know."

"Now who's being hilarious. 'Where we're going_'_? Is that a euphemism for something?"

"Er, not intentionally. Why, where do you think we're going?" Emma looked at her sideways.

"Literally or figuratively?"

"Argh, Regina! You know what I meant."

Regina looked away for a few seconds before saying quietly. "I think you know where I want to go."

"Please," Emma begged. "I can't read you sometimes. If we're talking about what I think we're talking about... I need to know if we're on the same page with this. I need you to say it."

"I suppose it is fair, since you put yourself out there first - twice." Regina said uncomfortably. "I want this. But Emma, where we're going … that's not somewhere anyone wants to go with me. Because of who I was. Because of who I am."

Emma tilted her head and gave her a soft smile. "Let me decide who I want to go with. Nobody intends to fall for the Evil Queen you know, but that hardly stopped me."

Regina closed her eyes. "I _am_ trying."

"I know. I do." Emma gave her a sympathetic look and took her hand.

Regina smiled thinly. "You're the only one who does."

"I get it. I grew up being told over and over that I was bad. But nobody thinks they're bad until someone tells them. Look at Ri, she was a good girl who grew up to be a queen and a powerful sorceress. If she hadn't none of this would even exist. They'd be stuck in their medieval hellholes dying of consumption. But they call her Evil now. Maybe you've always been good and nobody ever saw it."

"Yes." Regina smiled wryly. "Feel free to rewrite the book and paint me as an emancipator all you wish."

"Look, you did some fucked up shit. But some of it was nothing more than what Kings before you had done. And taking away the happy endings and cursing everyone to come to this world? Who's to say the alternative wasn't worse? I'm sure they're all thrilled to bits now with their SUVs and cable TV and penicillin and all the modern stuff they've got. Haven't you noticed that the rest of Storybrooke doesn't give a fuck what's happening? Unless there's actually a giant running right for them they're content to let us get on and deal with it by ourselves."

"You sound like Em. You've certainly rediscovered your potty mouth - and your cynicism."

"No, it was always there. Just nobody bothered to get to know me enough to see it come out."

"You think I know you?"

"I think you do. And I understand you. I really do," said Emma, significantly emphasizing the last part. "I get what it's like to have everyone try to tell you who you are. I get what it's like to want a second chance and you just want everyone to see it, but no-one believes you..."

Though Emma was the one with the lie-detector power, Regina knew she was telling the truth. Every argument and fight and squall they'd ever had she'd looked her in the face and fought back on equal ground. The only one who was neither cowed by her threats nor turned away by her damage. She'd known exactly why Emma fought so hard against her, they'd been doing it for the same reason. For Henry.

Neither of them wanted to be alone anymore. They'd walked a mile in each other's shoes and discovered how painful their respective journeys had been.

"So uh, I've been alone my whole life," said Emma, clearly uncomfortable about talking of her past so frankly. "It's easier that way: no-one lets you down, no-one disappoints you, no-one hurts you. When I was Em's age I preferred it that way but I think differently now. Being alone only works right up until the moment it doesn't."

Emma shifted her weight, swaying from one foot to the other with her hands stuffed into her pockets again. "You probably don't want to hear this but Mary Margaret was the first person who was ever there for me. Now that I know what it's like to have a family I can't go back. I don't want to. _I won't_. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes," Regina pursed her lips. "Since you asked so nicely, I will refrain from killing your mother."

Emma arched an eyebrow. "Uh huh. Like you said, you're trying. You've had ample opportunity all these years and you still haven't got around to it yet. Is it on the bottom of your To-Do List or something? Right under 'get the gutters cleaned out' or 'try a pilates class'... you know, the stuff that nobody ever gets around to doing?"

"Pilates is definitely after _'_kill Snow White'."

Emma smirked at the dark humour. "I have a sneaking suspicion that your heart is going to be occupied by more than mere vengeance in future. You're gonna have better things to do." _Like me_, her unfinished tone cheekily implied.

"I suppose everyone has to tolerate a family member who they'd prefer was buried in the woods," Regina deadpanned.

"Hell yeah. We've still got Mr Gold if you're feeling homicidal," offered Emma.

Regina grimaced. "Ugh. Don't remind me."

"What do you think he's up to?"

"Besides entertaining his revised girlfriend? Probably trying to ruin what's left of my life."

Emma snorted. "Not everything's about you, Regina."

"Yes, that treacherous imp is nothing if not self-serving."

"What do you mean?"

Regina tensed her jaw, anger racing through her in an instant to the forefront of her heart. "He used me. I only learned magic so I could bring Daniel back. I was young and grieving and naive. He made me think it was possible. He knew all along it wasn't."

"Er, isn't it though? Didn't Dr Whale-"

"They LIED to me! It wasn't him. It was an abomination and he was in agony - I had to -" Regina broke off with a shudder of pain and closed her eyes.

Emma spoke softly, running her hand down Regina's upper arm. "Hey, I know. David told me what happened. I'm sorry you lost him again."

"I didn't." Regina's eyes flashed. "Because he was never here. Not really."

"You still love him don't you."

Regina jerked a look at her, knowing that if she lied it'd be detected easily but not wanting to compromise their small progress.

"It's alright," said Emma simply. "That's the thing about hearts. Even when they're full there's room for more."

That should have been comforting but Regina still had to force herself not to snap. How could Emma have the gall to be so good and forgiving as to not mind sharing her with someone murdered long ago? A loss so painful it'd led to the destruction of the realm and left her with a suffocating grief and loneliness that never seemed to end. Regina felt it undiminished even after all these years, even after she knew she was developing _something_ for the woman who stood there right now, giving her a pass on having to give up her first love.

"How can you possibly tolerate that," said Regina sharply. "Even if you can overlook the curse and my other recent mischief."

Emma shrugged almost casually. "I don't want to take anything from you. But at the same time, I wish you weren't in pain anymore. Will you tell me about him sometime?"

Regina felt like the air suddenly rushed out of her lungs. "I - I can't. Not today. Maybe not ever."

They walked on in silence for a few minutes until Emma brushed her fingers against Regina's, testing the waters.

"Regina? Where we're going... one step at a time, ok?"

* * *

Em looked back over her shoulder as she walked, searching Main street with no luck. She could feel her target and knew she was getting closer but it was like the signal was being diluted by white noise. She had to find Ri before the stubborn-yet-naive girl got herself into any trouble. Why would Ri go there of all places?

Too distracted to look where she was going Em ran into someone coming straight at her. "Oof, watch it!"

"Emma?" It was some dude with a hoarse voice saying her name incredulously.

"Sorry, I think you've got the wrong number," said Em fake-cheerily, like he was an annoying marketing phone call. He obviously knew her (the older her) but she had a mission and explaining herself to one of Crankypants's friends was low on the list of priorities.

"Wait!" she heard him call after her and quickened her pace.

The guy jogged to catch up with her so she rolled her eyes and groaned internally.

"Emma, what's going on? You're wearing glasses... you look seventeen again, like when we met-"

"Er, guy, I don't know you. And it's Em, not Emma."

Neal grabbed her arm to bring her to a halt. "You told me you don't like to be called that," he said lightly, but she wasn't in the mood for jokes and she definitely wasn't here to flirt. Not with him at least.

Em glared at him indignantly and pulled her arm free. He did look familiar, she admitted to herself, wondering where she'd seen that lopsided grin before. She stared at him for a beat, with something like recognition buzzing around her head like insects before she shook it away quickly.

"Look dude, I gotta go find my girlfriend. See ya later. Not."

Neal gave her an open-mouthed look of curiosity before his attention was instinctively jerked away by a car backfiring behind him down the street. When he turned back, the sidewalk in front of him was empty and the teenage Emma was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The ancient black bakelite phone rang shrilly and David picked up the receiver swiftly.

"Sheriff's station."

"David," sighed Mary Margaret gratefully on the line. "You're there."

"Yeah. Miss me already?" David said it as a joke since it'd only been a few hours since lunchtime when they'd been together.

"Is Emma still out? We may need you to come to the school."

"Has something happened?"

Mary Margaret sighed. "You could say that. Some of the children have lost their memories."

David was instantly alarmed and he sat up straight, ready to bolt into action. "What! How?"

"They were on a field trip in the woods to gather moss samples for biology. According to their peers and teachers, it seems that some of the children no longer remember their fairytale identities."

David rubbed a hand over his forehead wearily. "Alright, we'll have to speak to the class, the teachers, whoever was on the trip, and explain it to the parents. If this goes much further we're going to have to go public to warn people to stay away from the outskirts and as close to town as possible until we figure this out."

"It's worse than that, David. If word gets out we could end up with a mass panic on our hands. The border is shrinking away from the town line faster than we thought. Apparently the class didn't go that far into the woods..."

"We have to tell Emma and Regina," said David firmly. "The border may be closer than they think."

* * *

Emma stopped abruptly, breaking both their strides and their silence to face Regina.

"Regina, if you could go back and change things ... would you cast the curse again? Ri seems like she doubts everything, including herself."

"Yes, I'd do it again," Regina confirmed gravely. "Ri will come to understand why. I'm sorry but regretting a past mistake doesn't mean that you'd take it back even if you could. I feel strongly that I had no choice, I always did."

"Why?"

"For Henry. To ensure that he will be born and have this world to live in. A world better than mine. I thought I did it for myself but perhaps I did it for him as well, even though I didn't know it at the time."

Emma nodded, taking it all in. "We don't have much in common besides our son but I think you know what it's like to be alone too."

"Do you really," said Regina evenly.

"Yes. You may have been around people your whole life but they didn't understand you did they? You got parcelled from one life to the next and everyone ignored how you felt. You were sheltered at home by your mother and forced into marriage. Then Gold manipulated you into becoming the Evil Queen for his own ends and finally you were sent to exile. You became exactly what they made you and then they blamed you for it. I think you know exactly what it feels like to be trapped and alone."

Regina swallowed hard to get her voice under control before speaking. "The curse was a prison too, but of my own making. All of us were trapped here but I was the only one who knew it. Until Henry figured it out."

"I'm glad he did. It brought us all together. Living in prison isn't easy but neither is leaving one, even when the door is open. There's a whole world here but you've never once crossed the town line. Instead you stayed here with the people you know. But you feel alone even when you're surrounded don't you?"

Regina fought to contain the rising emotion but could only whisper in a voice made husky by the burning in her throat. "Except when I was with Daniel and now with you."

"That's why you've been staying over at our place huh? Even though you hate my parents, being with us is still better than being alone."

"I stayed to be with you and Henry."

"Hey, we're family," said Emma, smiling. "But this having-a-family thing is pretty new to me and so is having a relationship that isn't automatically gonna fail. I'm probably gonna screw up at some point. You know it's gonna happen. So uh sorry."

Regina sighed over Emma's deprecating herself again. "You're apologising in advance for whatever stupid thing you're probably going to do in future?"

"Maybe."

"Well, try not to break my heart. That never did turn out well, for more than just me," said Regina, making it sound like the dire warning it was.

"Hey, I won't. Promise."

"You were right when you said I couldn't let go, that it makes me dangerous. Emma, if you decide you can't actually do this I won't be strong enough to - I can't just get over it. I can't go through that again."

"That's what you meant this morning wasn't it? Before Henry came in. You think us being together is a huge risk not just for you, but for everyone because you don't trust yourself if you lose someone again."

Regina nodded and pressed her lips together. They were face-to-face now, only inches away. She leaned into Emma's hand as it threaded through her hair and lost herself in a depth of green that seemed more tangible than the verdure in the surrounds.

"We're adults and we can do whatever the hell we want," said Emma softly. "We have a son and we can have us too."

Regina gave a small smile. "I want everything."

They were so close now there was nowhere else for Regina to put her arms so she draped them around Emma's shoulders, letting her wrists cross lightly at the back, almost like they were dancing together. The blonde was at a slight height advantage because of the shoe swap. When Emma spoke again, Regina could feel the breath on her lips and saw the detail in her eyes. The unspoken parts of Emma's words were written there.

"So." Emma slipped an arm around her waist to pull her flush against her. "The other times it didn't go very well. Uh, I kissed you without asking first and you freaked out. This time I want to make sure you're with me...

"Can I kiss you?"

"Please do," Regina whispered. Her eyes dropped in anticipation.

Emma tipped Regina's chin up and paused only millimetres away, checking that she wasn't going to be pushed away and allowing Regina close the final distance herself. As soon as their lips met in a slow and soft kiss both their eyes slipped closed. It started out tentative and exploring, betraying Emma's nervousness, but when Regina responded fully and tightened her arms around her instead of pulling away, it must've given her enough indication that her feelings were returned and her confidence took flight.

Their first kiss had overwhelmed Regina with the kind of intense feelings she thought she'd forgotten long ago. But time and time again only brought to the surface memories of how amazing this feeling was. It was like they were the only two in the world for a few minutes and both the past and the future faded away in the moment. They'd kissed before but this time neither of them was running away.

They didn't notice the border less than a few feet away, creeping steadily upon them unable to be seen.


	24. Hearts and minds

**Double Trouble 24**

* * *

**Chapter 24 "Hearts and minds"**

_Sometimes I'm terrified of my heart_

_of its constant hunger for whatever it wants_

_- Poe, lyrics_

"Why are you and your girlfriend here in Storybrooke?" asked Mr Gold. His tone was conversational but there was a distinct edge to it.

"I'm not sure what you mean," said Ri uncertainly.

Mr Gold swiped his hand in the air and produced a magic wand formerly belonging to a fairy, someone who had no use for it now. He turned the sparkly length this way and that, examining it with interest as though it were an object of precious value or significance.

"You can do magic," Ri realised with a sinking feeling.

"There's no reason to be afraid."

"My mother uses magic," said Ri glumly. "I don't care for it."

"I agree," Gold humoured the naive young version of his 'monster'. He tucked the wand away under the glass counter. "I try to avoid it. If you have to use magic to get what you want then it isn't really yours..."

Ri brightened slightly. "That's just what I think! I'd have to be desperate to resort to such means."

"That is rather unfortunate. You have great power inside you, Regina."

"Really?" gasped Ri, clearly enthralled by the idea.

"Oh yes, your power could rival your mother's. I taught her. I could teach you also."

Ri started to shake her head. "No... No, I don't want to be like her."

"You don't have to be. It's entirely up to you."

Gold could see he was getting through to her, seducing the young girl with the idea that perhaps she wasn't quite so powerless against her mother's control as she thought. She would easily fall under his spell. Just like last time and every other time. It must be a Mills family trait.

"You could use magic to set yourself free," hinted Gold.

"Regina has magic," murmured Ri. "But she used it for something Evil. A dark curse."

Gold pierced her with his sharp gaze. "How do you know it was Evil."

Ri hesitated. "Because that's what everyone says?"

"Power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of its possessor. Magic corrupts all but the purest of hearts. Would the curse still be termed 'dark' if all turns out well in the end? What if it turns out better than before?"

Ri furrowed her brows in confusion. "How can that be? Regina's actions were reprehensible."

"What if a special little person's existence depended entirely on that curse?" Gold's voice became a whisper at the end, like he was revealing a secret.

"Do you mean Henry?" guessed Ri in a tiny voice of wonder. "Emma's son?"

Mr Gold stared at her for a long time with a crooked grin, light glinting off the tooth that was capped with his namesake. His silence confirmed that the boy was exactly who he meant. The jangle of the shop's door bell pierced the air suddenly and broke the spell.

"Don't heed his advice, young Regina! Whatever he tells you will be for his own ends," warned the Blue Fairy.

As the nun strode into the shop, the door seemed to hang open for a second longer than it should have before it swung closed.

Ri glanced at the woman, shrinking under the scrutiny. "It's you again. Why are you following me around?"

"You must not allow him to manipulate you. You have a good heart, now use it."

"Indeed she does," said Gold dryly, before glancing at Ri. "A kind and gentle heart. You know what you love, now go save it."

"At what cost?" posed the Blue Fairy. "The dark curse ruined more than just her."

The young girl looked hopelessly confused, caught between the two as though they were an Angel/Devil pair sitting on her shoulders giving her contradictory advice.

Ri shook her head uncertainly. "But I- he says I must do it for Henry. If that's true ..."

The Blue Fairy pressed her earnestly. "Regina, he does not have Henry's best interests in mind. It is why you are here. You must trust me on this."

"I don't see why I should. Em doesn't trust you and I trust her! Mr Gold has given me no reason to disbelieve what he says."

Blue shot a quelling glare at Gold's triumphant smirk but it was ignored. "Indeed."

Mr Gold leaned on the shop counter, shoulder-to-shoulder with Ri. He spoke to the teen out of the corner of his mouth like they were sharing a private joke. "She's a fairy, you know."

Ri's expression chilled. "Then I certainly don't trust her. That's right, isn't it? Mother says fairy magic is inferior and only causes trouble."

"It does," said Gold, menacingly. "Where was _she_ when you needed help, hm? Getting her wings glittered?"

"I could not grant your wish, young Regina. It was out of my hands," said Blue quickly.

"I've had many wishes," confessed Ri quietly. "They were all refused."

"I had to. Your patron was killed."

"That's a lie!" cried Ri angrily. "My father said she was reassigned when he lost his title. He was very upset that I would not have the chance to make a wish."

The Blue Fairy shook her head sympathetically. "Your mother killed her for that very reason."

"NO!" said Ri, trembling. "My mother wouldn't do that. You're lying! You've been harassing me for days and now you expect me to believe that my parents lied to me?"

"I'm telling you the truth. _This man_," emphasized the Blue Fairy with a gesture at Gold. "Is the one who made Regina who she is. He sees the future. He wanted you for his own and when your mother chose your father, he had to find another way to corrupt your heart if not by his own blood. That was the 'gift'he bestowed upon you at birth."

"I - I don't understand," stammered Ri. She looked at Gold fearfully now too. "You did something to my heart?"

Gold shrugged casually. He rested his hands on the edge of the glass forming a wide upside-down V with his arms. "Corrupting your heart was never going to be easy. I needed a little insurance. The Terrified Heart."

"Despicable." Blue closed her eyes and shuddered. "A spell inflicting nothing but damage when cast upon an infant. His gift to you was a lifelong prison, young Regina. His _insurance_ was to make sure the Queen's suffering would remain undiminished and drive her to seek vengeance at any cost. She was in constant pain and wanted revenge more than love. It is why you will always carry the overwhelming burden of your grief, regret, and fear. Others may feel similar pains but the intensity fades with time. Yours never will. Your heart can never forget."

Ri seemed frozen to the spot, glancing from one to the other as though she couldn't decide who to trust. Tears started to run down her cheeks and she could've even speak. It seemed plausible: she _was_ constantly afraid of the world, she _was_ different from other people, when she felt things she could never seem to let go … and now she finally knew why.

"You _must_ do as I say, Regina," said Gold around clenched jaws.

"You _must_ _not_ trust him. Come with me," demanded the Blue Fairy.

"Oookay, that's enough of the mindfuckery," said Em in a hard voice. "If either of you speak to her like that again I will end you. Don't make the mistake of thinking I can't."

In the blink of an eye, the blonde teen visibly appeared where she had been the whole time, standing right next to Ri like a guardian.

The Blue Fairy looked surprised at young Emma's apparent use of magic. "How did you-"

Em grinned with a flinty gleam in her eye. "I'm like Houdini, yeah?"

"Nice to see you again, young lady," said Gold smoothly. "I do hope you're not here to destroy my shop this time?"

"Nice scarf, creep," snickered Em, eying the dirty-looking sheepskin around his neck. "Let's go, Ri. We're leaving."

Too quick to be noticed, Em slipped something sparkly down her jeans and grabbed Ri's hand on the way out.

* * *

Regina had her hands threaded through long blonde hair when they broke the kiss breathing hard. Her eyes were still closed and Emma pressed their foreheads together. They were so wrapped up in each other they didn't notice anything in the surrounding woods.

"Wow," Emma panted before laughing quietly.

Regina smiled widely and stole another kiss. "You think so?"

"Mm hm." Emma couldn't keep her grin under control. "How's your heart. Not freaking out this time?"

"I think it's training to be an Olympic gymnast," admitted Regina.

Emma groaned. "Hot. I hope you are that flexible. Are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh, hell yes."

"Maybe you'll find out," Regina teased and started kissing Emma's neck.

The blonde leaned into it and her eyes slipped closed again. "I'd better. Now?"

"In the woods?"

"No, not here. Bed?" gasped Emma.

"Wall," murmured Regina.

"Uh uh. Bench?"

"Floor."

"Floor?! Too cold."

"Your desk at the Sheriff's station."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?"

Regina snickered at the mock-scandalised look on Emma's face. But the tables were turned on her, the blonde snaked an arm through her jacket to hold her and then drew kisses across under her jaw.

"Of course we can't agree on anything," said Regina.

"Only one solution," Emma whispered near her ear. "Try them all."

Regina's attention was jerked away suddenly and she stilled, trying to determine what it was she could sense. She patted the blonde head. "Emma, wait-"

Emma mock-whined. "Oh not again, is this the part where you-"

"Emma, get back!" Regina cried out and in one swift move pushed her away magically. Emma felt herself lift off the ground and sailed ten feet through the air and fell to the ground to land on her ass.

Emma groaned and tried to get up. She brushed the gravel off her hands and stood stiffly. She eyed Regina who was facing away from town holding her palm in the air and concentrating hard on the empty space before her.

"Ow. What the hell, Regina? This is the worst rejection yet! You gotta learn to let me down gently." Emma groused. "At least I'm not on fire I suppose."

"The border is right in front of me," Regina warned. "Don't come any closer."

"What?!"

The place where invisible border met the ground began to glow with a bright yellow light that sped off in both directions into the woods, marking the line where magic and memories were lost.

The fluorescent yellow line was still moving towards Regina as the magic flowed from her hand. It looked like the border was disintegrating or being continuously eroded and the yellow line appeared to waver and flicker like noise in an electronic signal.

"Oh god, the border's moving faster than we thought," said Emma worriedly.

"Nearly finished," muttered Regina.

Just as she completed the spell the border met her outstretched palm and branches shot out of the woods as if from nowhere to wrap around her middle and snatch her into the air.

Emma gaped in open-mouthed horror at the sight as Regina was held aloft for a few seconds and then dropped to the ground from that height. As the branches retracted into the woods, she ran over to where the slight form had fallen to the road and lay perfectly still.

"_Regina!_"

* * *

Em held Ri's hand, walking the crying girl away from the stupid pawn shop leaving the adults inside. The jury was still out on who was malevolent and who was benign - or perhaps the categories weren't exclusive and everyone was merely working their own agendas. Of all the places the poor girl could've gone for help, she'd ended up in the worst of them. Unbelievable.

They reached the little park that was off Main Street and Em pulled Ri over to sit her down at one of the picnic tables. Em knelt in front of her and held both of her hands in her own.

"Em, h-how," Ri sobbed. "You were there the w-whole time?"

Em smiled weakly. "I can find anyone I'm looking for. Always. I knew you were in trouble."

"I didn't n-need you," said Ri, stubbornly. "I w-was fine."

"The fuck you were!" cried Em. "Trust you to get chatted up by psychopaths, just like I said would happen. They were messing with your head. Why didn't you just leave, Ri? I could see you were getting upset and I kept waiting for you to do something and stand up for yourself. Why didn't you just tell them to get fucked?"

"I don't know." Ri sniffed wetly and swiped her cheeks impatiently. "Stop using that awful word. Mother says it's for uneducated commoners."

"Of course she does," muttered Em. "What about what _you_ think Ri?"

Ri gulped worriedly. "I don't think that about you! Mother believes things like that, I know better."

"Then don't let your mother or anyone else overrule your thoughts. I don't care what those jerks said. You have your own mind and your own heart. Don't be afraid. You _know_ what's right."

Ri nodded slowly, with her eyes on the ground, thinking of a little boy with his mother's eyes. Mr Gold had implied that Henry's existence was dependent on her casting the dark curse. After taking so much away from Em, separating her from her parents for decades, how could she even think of taking her son away from her too? She loved them both. The thought that Henry might never even exist alarmed her. She couldn't risk it. That was a good enough reason for her.

She had no choice.

"Thanks, Em," said Ri, in a small voice.

"Anytime," promised Em. "I will _never_ leave you when you need saving. No matter how mad we are at each other."

Another tear rolled down Ri's cheek.

Em sighed and rose to sit next to her on the bench. She stroked Ri's cheek gently to smooth the wet trail and turned her face so that the teary brunette had to look up.

"You're gorgeous even when you're a crying mess, princess," said Em gently. She tucked a few locks of long brown hair back behind Ri's ear.

"You never told me when we met."

"Told you what?"

Ri lowered her face shyly. "Said anything about my looks. That's usually the first thing people say to me."

Ri's eyes dropped to the other girl's lips and she felt her place the pads of her fingertips above her heart. Em leaned in and pressed a soft kiss, so quickly it felt like it was over before it started.

"This is why I love you." Em kissed her forehead next. "And here."

Ri struggled for a reply, surprised by the kiss and kind words after they'd barely spoken for days without snapping at each other. But her heart's true sentiments were stuck in her throat and she was afraid of their reception. Several times she went to speak up but couldn't get it out.

Em got up and paced a few steps with her hands stuffed into her the pockets of her hoodie.

"Em? Are you-" Ri took a deep breath. "Are you ready to hear me say it?"

"Don't, Ri," pleaded Em, half turned away from her. "Please. Just - don't."

"Why?" begged Ri.

"It'll break my heart to break yours. I can't do it to you. Maybe I already have. Being with a bratty streetkid like me is a far cry from what you deserve."

Ri jumped up and grabbed Em's arm, forcing her around to face her. "Please, Em! I don't care what I deserve. All I care about is you."

"I should've known this would happen. Emma did. She knew it was just a matter of time before I broke your heart, Ri. I bet it happened with them too. It must be why they're not together."

"But what about us," said Ri hopefully. "We can be together."

"I think maybe we're running out of time. It's too late."

Ri cradled Em's face with her palm and locked their eyes. "No, Em! There could be one minute left and I'd still want to spend it with you."

Em looked away quickly and stared at the ground in steadfast concentration. "Ri, do you want kids some day?"

"Um, yes-" Ri was perplexed by the sudden topic change.

Em nodded to herself. "We can't be together. I want all of your wishes to come true. There's no happy endings for people like me. Yours is not with me."

Ri flinched like she'd been struck. "Is that - is that what you really believe, Em?"

"I want better for you."

"If you loved me you wouldn't want to keep us apart," Ri murmured. "Would you?"

Em blinked away sudden tears and scuffed her Cons on the ground. "We have to go. It's nearly 4.30. We gotta pick up the little nerdburger from the schoolbus."

"Em, be nice," Ri pleaded. "He's only a child and he just wants you to like him."

Em grumbled half-heartedly. Ri never seemed to stand up to anyone but her, as if she was the only one she wasn't afraid of. "I'm glad you're growing up, Ri. Even if you are cutting your claws on me."

Ri sniffed sadly and crinkled her brow into a fond smile. "It's 'cutting your teeth'. Not claws."

Em mock-whined. "Aw, you're gonna come at me with teeth AND claws? Who knew Ri was hiding a badass inside her. That's actually kinda hot."

Ri's gaze snapped up as the girl she loved started to walk away. She _knew_ Em still loved her. She _knew_ Em still wanted her. Yet the other girl was keeping them apart for some reason. There was something holding them back. She jogged a few steps to catch up and the two teenagers headed for Main street to meet Henry.

* * *

Regina felt something irritating patting her face and began to rouse. "Stop that."

"Wake up, please!"

"Uhhh. Yes, Henry, you can have chocolate for breakfast. Cupboard above the fridge," she groaned tiredly. "Mommy's not feeling well."

"Re- gi- na!" Something was shaking her shoulder and calling her name repeatedly.

She opened her eyes blearily to see a familiar irritant, staring at her with a panicky expression. "Emma, what-?"

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Emma held up two.

"Twelve-and-a-half. I'm not concussed."

Emma growled. "You're something! Are you sure you didn't hit your head? Who am I?"

"Emma Swan. Sheriff of Storybrooke, mother of my son, bane of my existence."

"Ok good. You're definitely still you. But do you remember everything?"

"How would I know if I had forgotten anything?" Regina pointed out. "I certainly remember you breaking my curse. I remember you disappearing into a portal and then climbing out of a well. I remember you accusing me of murder with the same mouth you just kissed me with."

Emma's relief was obvious and she exhaled. "Ok. You still have your memories. But what the hell was that?"

Regina raised herself on her hands with difficulty to sit on the ground and Emma was still hovering over her. The world spun for a few seconds until her vision cleared.

"The border. It's a barrier spell, like Mother used to use. She cast one around the estate before I was married to stop me from running away."

"Geezus," said Emma, shaking her head incredulously.

"Something bad happens when someone tries to leave Storybrooke," said Regina. "I can't leave either."

Emma looked her over for injuries and swore when she noticed. "Your nose is bleeding."

"It's fine."

Emma stretched her sleeve over her gloved hand and pressed it to Regina's face to soak up the trickle of blood for a few minutes. She cupped her other hand under the brunette's hair and massaged the back of her neck gently.

"It's not as bad as last time," said Emma. "Hope this isn't gonna happen too often - you bleeding all over me. I totally thought you were gonna incinerate me on the spot that day last year and that was before I knew you could. That was not long after our first kiss. Do you remember?"

Regina's voice was slightly muffled but wry. "I could hardly forget it. That was the day I realised I cared about you. It hit me right in the face."

"I wish you'd said something. Things might've been different."

Regina nodded slightly and breathed through her mouth, since Emma was still holding the bridge of her nose tightly. Maybe things _would_ have been different if Emma had known. Perhaps they could've worked together to break the curse, without anyone getting hurt, without risking Henry. Without him they wouldn't have even met. They wouldn't be what they were now... whatever that actually was.

"I noticed you trying to look down my shirt that day," said Regina a little nasally. "That's why I wore it."

Emma rolled her eyes lightly and teased her back. "Well, I caught you checking out my ass when I was crawling up the ladder to get the damn frisbee off the roof."

"Only then? You aren't very observant. I have appreciated your form many times."

"You have?" said Emma incredulously.

"Yes." The twinkle in Regina's eyes were the only evidence of her smile since it was covered by Emma's sleeve. "How else would I have noticed your appreciation of mine? Subtlety is not your strong suit, dear."

"Me?" Emma scoffed a laugh. "Regina, _you_ are the Queen of Not Subtle. You gatecrashed my parents' wedding to announce that you were gonna curse them all forever. Always gotta steal the show don't you?"

"Oh please, you should've seen the tantrum your mother threw on _my_ wedding day. It was payback," Regina's voice was still nasal. Seeing Emma about to ask she followed quickly with, "Don't bother asking, I'm not telling you. Nobody puts the baby princess in the corner apparently. Not even me."

They both shared a smile and then fell into silence. They stared at the flickering yellow line ten feet away. It was still creeping steadily towards them - towards the center of town. The bubble that encased the town and preserved it's magic was shrinking.

Emma scrunched her face, grasping for the silver lining in the situation. "At least we can see the border now I guess. We know where it is and how fast it's moving. But we're miles from the town line. It must be moving faster than we thought."

"It's not moving constantly either," said Regina grimly, covering Emma's hand with her own. "It jumped towards me."

"What?" said Emma sharply.

"The border thinks I was trying to leave - or interfere with it."

Emma stared at her in alarm. "What do you mean 'the border _thinks_'?"

"Magic is imbued with the intentions of its possessor. You've heard the expression 'the floodgates have opened'? Once magic has been cast it can act with sentience, as though it had a mind of it's own."

Emma removed their hands from the injury and saw that the blood had stopped flowing. She sat back on her heels and sighed.

"Isn't it _your_ magic, Regina? Why is it attacking you?"

"I think it was trying to protect me."

Emma gaped. "How is tossing you like a ragdoll protecting you?"

"It's not just my magic. There's someone else's here too, I can sense it. There's noise in the signal."

"Who's magic?"

"I don't know."

Emma shot her a look, listening carefully. "Are you sure."

"It must be -" Regina broke off suddenly and finished it in her mind, _Someone who loves me._

Emma jumped up and dusted herself off with a determined look on her face.

"Emma! What are you doing?" Regina rose to her feet with effort and grabbed at the blonde's elbow before she could go any further.

"I have magic too. I got this."

"NO!" Regina pulled her back forcefully and stared her down. "Don't try to interfere with the border. I forbid you to use magic."

"That's rich, coming from you! Didn't you just use magic on the border and every other time to get something you want?"

"Emma, listen to me," growled Regina fiercely. "The border thinks it's protecting me, what do you suppose will happen if it thinks you're trying to attack it? It's going to attack YOU. Don't resort to magic, we can figure this out another way."

Emma tried to shrug it off. "Gold taught me a protection spell."

"No, Emma!" Regina cried, pulling at her arm again. "Don't use magic, especially anything he taught you. Do you think I want to see it happen to you too?"

"You're afraid that magic will corrupt me," murmured Emma, realising what she meant. "You're afraid for my heart?"

Regina covered her face with her hand since it was already feeling stuffy and sore. "Magic corrupts all but the purest of hearts. You can't risk it. Henry needs one of us to be good. Magic always comes with a price and I don't want him to pay ours."

Emma pulled the hand away and cupped it between her own, pressing a kiss to the knuckles.

"I have an idea... but first, let's get you home."


	25. Thankyou

**Double Trouble 25**

**Chapter 25 'Thankyou**'

Granny Lucas peered through the kitchen window to where her granddaughter and Mary Margaret were gossiping earnestly in the diner. That girl! Slacking off again and the dinner rush was beginning soon too. Granny shook her head out of long-suffering annoyance and headed over to the whispering pair.

"-in bed together," said Mary Margaret, wide-eyed.

"Are you shitting me?" said Ruby, leaning in closer. "I knew it! Caught her checking her out in the diner once. I bet they are so hot together."

"You can't tell anyone else, please Ruby. I don't know how to-"

"Hey, I just realised. Emma once told me she-"

"Ruby! Customers," hinted Granny, interrupting the gossipy tete-a-tete.

Ruby jumped defensively. "What? I was just taking Mary Margaret's order."

"For fifteen minutes?" said Granny pointedly, with a chastising look at the pixie-haired brunette for distracting her waitress friend.

"Um, I - I was just deciding," stuttered Mary Margaret, "what to get - um, for dinner."

"Sure you were." Granny rolled her eyes. She was neither convinced nor amused. Just like when they were girls, trying to pull the wool over her eyes. A foolish thing to attempt with a former werewolf.

The door to the diner swung open and David came in. He slid onto the stool next to Mary Margaret and shucked off his jacket.

"Did she ask you yet?" David said to Granny.

"Ask me what?" said Granny suspiciously, flinging a tea towel over her shoulder like it was the strap of her crossbow.

"Mar?"

Mary Margaret said exasperatedly. "I was just going to."

David raised his eyebrows at Granny and Ruby. "Mary Margaret has the crazy idea that we should ask Regina to be Mayor again."

"It isn't crazy," muttered Mary Margaret.

"She wants to give the Evil Queen the keys to the city."

"No, not really!" said Mary Margaret earnestly. "Well, maybe just the garage door opener."

Ruby snorted. "Mary, is this like the time you said we should adopt a wolf cub to see if it would treat me as its mother? Cos that was _not_ a good idea. Or how bout the time when we-"

"Ruby!" hissed Mary Margaret.

"What has this insanity got to do with me," said Granny dryly.

Mary Margaret explained her idea and repeated, "We need you to ask Regina."

David frowned and crossed his arms. "You still haven't told me why Regina is going to be convinced by Granny of all people. Why not get Henry to ask her? Or Emma maybe."

"Regina's ruled by her emotions," said Mary Margaret in a strained voice, looking down at the counter. She traced a circle in some spilled salt before raising haunted eyes. "She's like Ri. Haven't you noticed that she'll follow suggestions from someone she thinks has power over her?"

"You mean-"

"People in authority over her or people she cares about. Cora, Mr Gold, Henry, Emma... " Mary Margaret nodded somberly. "Even me."

"If that's true and even if it works..." David sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Mar, she's gonna be pissed that you manipulated her. Even if your intentions are good."

"Even if all I want is to help her get her life back?" _A life that now included her daughter apparently. _Mary Margaret posed the question but none of the others had a satisfactory answer.

After a while she spoke again quietly. "You're right. I can't do that to her again. I'll just ask her and hope she doesn't kill me."

Ruby glanced from her friend to her grandmother. "Wait. Why would Regina think Granny has any authority over her?"

"I was her nurse," answered Granny, surprised that none of the others except Mary Margaret knew about it.

David's jaw dropped. "You're kidding?"

Granny looked fondly at Ruby over her spectacles. "It was when your mother was about seventeen and just starting to change. I commissioned Cora to make the red riding cloak. I couldn't pay her so she took me on at the estate for a few years to repay the debt. This was before you were born of course."

Ruby was incredulous. "You told me you used to be a nurse. You looked after _Baby Regina_?"

Granny smiled, pleased at having the rapt attention of the young ones. "Yes, I certainly did. Princess Regina was a fretful baby, she cried constantly and never wanted to be left alone. I think I held her for three months straight. Cora didn't want much to do with the poor little thing... except to dictate her schedule down to the very minute that is."

"What happened," asked Mary Margaret, having never heard the complete story before.

Granny's eyes unfocused, as she thought far back into the past. "Regina was about three when Prince Henry was stripped of his royal title. None of us in the servants hall could figure out how a harsh woman like Cora could have given birth to such a sweet little girl. One day, the child told me something and Cora overheard. She flew into a rage and dismissed me and half of the servants from the estate that very day. The next time I heard anything of Regina her marriage to the King was being announced."

"What did Baby Regina tell you," asked Ruby.

Granny took the tea towel and swiped it across the counter absent-mindedly. "One way or another, Cora wanted complete control of that child - both her mind and her heart. Regina was only a little girl then. I doubt she even remembers me now."

* * *

"Emma, don't think I've forgotten your proclivity for stealing my shirts!" Regina called from the bathroom.

Emma pulled her blood-stained shirt over her head. She scrunched it in a ball and dropped it at her feet. She was weary from the long walk back to the car and then having to drive all the way back into town. Regina had insisted on replacing her dirt-smeared clothes the second they'd arrived back at the mansion and she was still changing in the bathroom. Probably also fussing over whether her face was starting to bruise.

"That wasn't me! It was Henry." Emma called back.

"I blame you for encouraging that behaviour."

"Oh, that's so not fair!" Emma scoffed. She sloped over to the bathroom door that connected to Regina's bedroom and called through the solid wood. "Hey, can I borrow something to -"

The door swung open to reveal Regina, freshly dressed.

"-wear." Emma adopted an innocent poker face since she was standing there in nothing but her black bra and dark skinnyjeans, revealing an expanse of fair skin and toned midriff.

Regina determinedly kept her gaze at eye level with impressive control but this time she had no basket of apples to obscure her view. "Do you make it a habit of standing in doorways half-naked? Or is just me."

"It's just you." Emma hid a grin.

"Yes, you may borrow something to put on. Besides that smirk of course."

Emma didn't blink or break their staring contest. "Sure you want me to cover up? You haven't snuck a peek yet."

Regina arched an eyebrow, meeting the challenge.

"Or perhaps you just want something of yours wrapped around my chest?" Emma teased. "You still curious about the nipple ring?"

The brunette's gaze faltered before she could stop it and her eyes darted downward for a mere fraction of a second. She hooked her index fingers in the belt loops of Emma's jeans and pulled her in so she could capture her lips in a slow kiss.

Emma smiled when she pulled away. "I like it when you kiss me first. Less chance of -"

"Do you really have one?" Regina kissed her again quickly.

"Maybe you'll find out," teased Emma.

"I expect I will."

Regina lowered her head and grazed the knuckles of her hand under Emma's bellybutton and let her palm rest flat on the warm skin. A soft smile broke over her face.

"What?" said Emma, wondering what was so fascinating.

"Henry."

Emma looked down at her now-flat stomach as well and chuckled, almost like she was embarrassed. "Oh, right. Yeah."

Regina's voice was barely audible. "What was it like."

"Well, uh, I was pretty young. Scared out of my mind. Didn't know what to do," Emma shrugged and recounted it tonelessly. "I was in jail. I couldn't stand to be near the kitchen cos the smells used to make me throw up - meat, chicken, coffee, the warden's perfume. All I wanted to eat was greens, nothing but greens. Towards the end the kid's feet were stuck right up under my ribs and it hurt like hell. I used to put ice-cubes near his feet so he'd shift a bit. Last few weeks were really uncomfortable. I don't really remember the birth pain all that much, I forgot everything once he was out."

Emma wrapped her hands around Regina's wrists where they now rested on either side of her denim-clad hips and ran them up her forearms. She could see the brunette's dark eyes were begging her for more details.

"I had him with me for two weeks. His eyes were still blue and he had lighter hair. I used to call him 'kid' cos," Emma's voice hitched raggedly. "Because I didn't want to get too attached and I - "

Regina brushed her fingers back across Emma's waist out of concern and brought her closer.

"I was afraid I'd change my mind. I wanted him to have a better life than me. When he turned up in Boston last year, I had a panic attack in the bathroom. But now... I can't imagine my life without him." Emma finished the last part with a teary laugh.

Regina cupped her face under her chin and kissed her lovingly, hoping that Emma could feel all of her past regrets and future desires. She'd taken the chance for a good childhood away from Emma, it was only fitting that she'd given one to Emma's son. The woman in her arms had brought a child into the world and entrusted him to her.

"I'm sorry," Regina breathed. She explained when Emma looked at her questioningly. "I didn't spare a thought for you the day I got him. One minute I was alone, the next minute I was a mother and all I could think of was my baby. It felt like he was mine from the moment I held him in my arms."

Emma nodded slowly with the beginnings of a smile. "I don't regret it anymore. It tore my heart apart to give him up but I'm glad he got you. When Henry brought me here I couldn't believe how lucky I'd gotten. That my kid ended up with everything I never had. When I used to disappear for a whole day nobody even noticed. And here was my kid - healthy, smart, beautiful - with a strict hardass of a Mom who missed him after only a few hours and cared enough to worry about candy and tv and homework."

"Hardass?" Regina arched an eyebrow.

"Yep. Also, great legs." Emma slid her arms around Regina's waist.

"We each did it alone. Now I think it'd be even better if we did it together. Thankyou. For making me a mother."

_Oh, that was so... sweet. _She wasn't always demonstrative but Regina felt things deeply and when she did show it it was amazing. Emma pulled her into a hug, meeting no resistance for once.

"Anytime," Emma joked. "And by that I mean 'never again'. Kid had a big head."

* * *

"Hi Ri!" Henry shouted happily as he alighted from the schoolbus. He ran over to the teens who were waiting in Main street where the bus dropped the schoolchildren off.

"Henry," cried Ri, as he launched himself around her middle in a hug. "Did you have a good day? What did you do at school?"

Henry shrugged and hiked his backpack over his shoulder. "Nothing."

"I'm sure you did something," teased Ri, stroking the boy's hair back off his forehead.

"Ok, do you wanna see? Let's go to the diner and get hot chocolate."

Ri and Henry went to go and paused to look back at Em, who hadn't followed and was yet to say anything. The blonde teen was avoiding eye contact and had her hands shoved in her hoodie pocket again.

"Aren't you coming, Em," asked Ri quietly.

"No uh - you guys go." Em scraped one of her Cons in an arc on the concrete. "You two should um, spend some time together."

"Yes, but-" Ri smiled hesitantly. "It'd be lovely if the three of us were together."

"Pleeeease, Em, come with us?" said Henry hopefully, in that unignorable way that children have when asking for what they want and getting it.

Em sighed. "Alright. Just for a little while."

In the short walk to the diner, Henry managed to pull everything out of his backpack to show Ri. He explained what he was learning in his subjects at school, showed her his finished birdhouse, presented a certificate he'd been awarded that day, and shoved a bunch of comics under her nose excitedly telling her his favourite parts in a rather jumbled way.

Em trailed the pair wordlessly, listening to the bittersweet tones of mother and son sharing their day together. Ri was delighted by every stupid little thing that Henry said and she hung on his every word like he was the most precious person in the world to her.

_She'll make a great Mom one day..._

"- can you help me, Em?" Ri's voice snapped her out of it.

"Huh?"

Ri held out a handful of bills. "Mary Margaret gave me these bartering notes but they all look the same to me. I have to exchange these for Henry's drink, is that right?"

"You won't need more than this." Em pulled a ten from the stack and at the same time surreptitiously palmed another of the notes up her sleeve.

"Lucky you're here. What would I do without you?" said Ri.

The bell rang as the trio entered the diner, attracting the attention of Mary Margaret and David who waved them over to the booth where they sat.

"Hey, you three," greeted Mary Margaret. "I thought we could have an early dinner out tonight."

David reached out to ruffle Henry's hair as he slid into the booth. "How was school, buddy?"

Henry started chattering to David about swordfighting and Ri was asking Mary Margaret if she remembered hearing about a particular Royal scandal that was hushed up many years ago. After a while one of the waitresses came to hand out menus and then disappeared.

Ri looked her menu over and pouted. "I don't know what to choose. How do you decide when there's so many things?"

"It's ok, honey," Mary Margaret said fondly. "We'll order for you, something that Regina would get."

"Extra fries. Apple pie for dessert," said Henry.

Mary Margaret raised her eyebrows at him. "You know full well she wouldn't order that."

David agreed. "I doubt Regina would ever willingly eat apples that didn't come from her own tree."

It was Henry's turn to be smug as he informed them. "She gets the extra fries for me and Granny's apple pie IS made from her apples. She always takes a whole basket of them to the Bed & Breakfast every month."

Ri nodded enthusiastically. "My apples are the best. I'd never want any other kind. I know Regina still has my tree."

"Where did you get it, Ri?" asked Henry, since his mother would never tell him.

Ri smiled. "I've had it since I was a little girl. One of the servants at the estate gave it to me and it wasn't even as tall as I was then."

"Which servant." Mary Margaret tilted her head, getting in on Henry's fishing expedition.

"One of my nurses. I had so many. Mother was too busy with estate matters and I wasn't an easy baby to take care of," said Ri sheepishly, as if it were her fault. "Mother said they were all incompetent. She sent them away one at a time until I was too old to need one."

Em muttered. "I hate it when people call babies 'good' because they don't cry much. Crying doesn't make them bad."

Ri bit her lips, wondering if she'd said the wrong thing. She joked weakly, "Mother says I became a bit of a terror when I turned three. Must've grown out of it."

"What does your father say," said Em pointedly.

"Um, nothing like that," said Ri, like she hadn't realised before. "He calls me Daddy's Little Girl. He doesn't ride anymore himself but he likes to come with me when I practice jumps with Rocinante. He told me he's looking for someone my age to go riding with me, so that I have someone to talk to. But I'm not lonely, not really! I'm so lucky to have Mother and Father... I just wish I could see them more."

Em gave her a small smile. "That's what lonely means, Ri."

Thankfully the conversation turned to much lighter topics after that. But before the meals even arrived, Em got up almost unnoticed by the others and headed for the bathroom. She had her hand on the door handle of the back exit when a voice stopped her.

"Are you ok, Em?" called Mary Margaret from behind her.

"Yeah," Em kept her eyes down. "I just need to get away."

Mary Margaret hid a sigh and started rummaging in her handbag. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered to pulled out her phone, apartment key, and some money and placed the bundle in Em's hands.

Em frowned in shock. "What are you doing?"

The pixie-haired brunette smiled sadly at her daughter. "Come back to us when you're ready."

"You're not gonna stop me?" said Em incredulously.

"I know it wouldn't do any good. I just want you to be safe. _Please call_ if you need help. I mean it, Em. We love you."

Mary Margaret watched Em hesitate before leaving and disappointment sunk into her stomach. She had hoped that her gesture would give the teen a reason to stay. There was clearly something upsetting Em and it pained her that her daughter still didn't think to talk to her or ask for help. It seemed like Em and Ri were talking again instead of ignoring each other, but there was still something holding them back from making up properly. She was not looking forward to explaining Em's absence to any of the others.

Em didn't come home that night and Mary Margaret didn't sleep a wink for worrying over it.


	26. Yours and mine

**Double Trouble 26**

**A/N:** I'm back, I survived! I sorta ran out of my meager 9GB quota of dodgy wireless internet by downloading too much Rizzoli & Isles. I blame Jane. And Maura. Anyways, I've been sitting here dithering about whether this is ready to post or not for over an hour so I'm just gonna do it. Thanks for reading! Oh and kudos to the people who spotted the Into the Woods reference in the previous chapter ;).

* * *

_"The greatest challenge is to find someone who knows all your flaws, differences, and mistakes, and yet still sees the best in you."_

* * *

**Chapter 26 'Yours and mine'**

_108 Mifflin St_

Emma frowned and ended the call on her phone after a long conversation with her deputy. This was not a good start to the day.

"That was David. He's meeting me at the school to go interview the kids in an hour."

Regina laid her elbows on the kitchen bench and leaned over opposite her. "The children who accidentally crossed the border and lost their memories?"

"Yeah," Emma sighed. "And their parents. Gonna be a nightmare. Apparently one of the kids used to be Georgie Porgie so that's a small mercy I spose."

Emma recounted the other piece of unfortunate news. "He also said that Em ran away last night during dinner. Mary Margaret caught her but she let her go."

"How could your mother do that?" Regina said worriedly. "She's been missing since last night? We have to find her."

Emma held up her hand pacifyingly. "No, it's ok. She'll be fine, trust me."

"We can't just let her sleep on the streets alone, she's a child-"

"Em likes having space to herself. She's not used to all this family stuff. Don't worry, she'll be back."

"I hope you know yourself that well. What if she tries to leave Storybrooke? She headed for the border the first day they appeared."

Emma shook her head confidently. "She won't. There's no way she'll leave Ri."

"The girls are still fighting though," murmured Regina.

Emma looked down at her hands resting on the bench and splayed her fingers, tapping them one at a time. "Hope they don't take as long to make up as we did. Unless... hey, do you think we monopolised the universe's supply of Emma-and-Regina happiness? Maybe we stole it from them."

"You said something like that before," Regina narrowed her gaze curiously. "What do you mean by it?"

"It's almost like the more it improves for us, the worse it's going for them. They hit it off originally and we didn't. Now we're together and they're acting like we did last year. It's like we're getting more like them and they're getting more like us." Emma shrugged, unable to articulate her thoughts properly. "I dunno. Nevermind."

"What did your parents say when you told them about the border shrinking faster?"

"Basically the gist of it was 'oh crap'." Emma chuckled half-heartedly. "I'm starting to think you fairytale characters don't know what the hell you're doing half the time. That part is curiously absent from the stories."

"I knew perfectly well what I was doing," said Regina, offended by the slight.

"How long do you think we have," asked Emma, as if asking a doctor for the prognosis of a terminal illness. "Before the border reaches the town?"

"Given that it may not be moving constantly, it could be weeks or perhaps mere days."

"Until the magic disappears along with the memories," mused Emma.

"I suppose so. Unless we find some way to stop this happening."

"I've got an idea," said Emma. "We let the border shrink."

Regina assumed she wasn't serious. "What? You're joking surely."

"No. I'm not." Emma got up and went around to stand close to Regina so she could look her right in the eyes. "This is your second chance. You'll get to start over. Without magic, without anyone knowing you were the Evil Queen, without your past hanging over your head like a guillotine. When people stop treating you badly you won't feel the need to retaliate. I think we should let this happen."

"Emma, are you out of your mind!" Regina stared at her incredulously. "Your parents will forget who they are. They won't remember that they're each other's true love. That was the whole point of breaking my curse wasn't it?"

"They got together last year even though they didn't know. Your curse didn't stop them before, _you_ stopped them with your crazy frame-my-mother-for-a-murder-that-didn't-happen scheme. Not remembering their other identities didn't stop them from falling in love all over again. They'll be fine. As for the rest of Storybrooke, who cares if Bob the Beanfarmer forgets his fairytale identity."

"This is a test isn't it?" Regina demanded angrily. She brushed the hand off her arm and stepped back. "I despise you right now, Emma, for offering this to me. Are you making this proposal to test whether I've really changed? If I accept it, then I'm still evil and out to destroy the precious love story of Snow White and Prince Charming. If I reject it, then I'm redeemed. Is that what you want to know?"

Emma lowered her head shamefully and whispered. "No. I just want you to be happy."

"Don't tempt me," pleaded Regina. "This is what Evil knows that Good doesn't - the appeal of what appears to be the easy fix. Stepping foot on the slippery slope doesn't lead anywhere but down. Henry told us that as indiscernible as it appears to be right now, there will be a solution. We must trust him. He believes in us. He would hate me for agreeing to this and seizing my happy ending at the expense of destroying everyone else's. You would both come to resent me for it."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I know you've changed, please believe me."

Regina sighed. "I know you want us to be happy, Emma, but for once in my life let me achieve it the right way. If we get our happy ending I want to actually _deserve_ it."

It may not have been intended as a test but Regina certainly passed with flying colours. Emma launched herself against her in a hug, causing Regina to gasp when she nearly fell off balance.

"You do deserve it. I love you," Emma blurted out.

"I love you too."

Emma's face started to crumple with emotion. She hadn't had time to regret what she'd accidentally confessed because the reply had been immediately given, something that'd rarely happened to her before without leading to heartbreak. Was this really happening? They'd agreed to share Henry and that had been enough to give her hope... now they were starting a relationship in the best way possible. With Regina's arms wrapped tightly around her, she suddenly felt like they'd be able to face whatever was going on and win.

"Thought you said five seconds ago that you despised me?" teased Emma, happily pressing a kiss into silky dark hair.

Regina replied in kind, a beautiful smile transforming her face. "I love you much more than I ever hated you, dear. And that's saying something."

* * *

It took every minute of the hour for Emma to drag herself away from Regina after their exchange and the makeout session that followed. Eventually Regina resorted to pushing her out the door, promising that it was only for a few hours and they'd see each other again after the Sheriff finished her shift. Just when Emma had finally agreed, Regina whispered something suggestive in her ear, deliberately undoing all her good work.

Emma glared petulantly and promised to make good on it.

"I'm counting on it," drawled Regina. "Enjoy your day."

Despite winning the upper hand that morning, Regina was the one who broke first and turned up at the Sheriff's station that afternoon under the guise of "supervising the Sheriff" since nobody was performing that role anymore.

Later that day, Emma scrunched up another ruined bit of paperwork into a ball and tossed it behind her. "Regina. Would you quit distracting me so that I can finish this? I'm trying to be good here."

Regina was sitting on the Sheriff's desk with her legs crossed elegantly, causing her tight pencil skirt to hike to mid-thigh in Emma's full view. No wonder that the Sheriff could hardly get anything done, judging by the number of sneaking glances she'd been stealing and the grin she couldn't keep off her face.

"And stop giving me that look," said Emma.

"What look, dear?" said Regina innocently.

"You know exactly what you're doing."

"I'm just sitting here, waiting for you. What am I doing?"

Emma's voice was deep in her chest. "Being aggravating and sexy as hell at the same time. In other words, existing."

Brown met green in what became a heated staring contest of the kind they'd often had last year when clashing over a difference of opinion, each fiercely maintaining her ground. Neither was willing to back down as ever, but the stares were laced with the opposite of malice now.

Last year Emma had blown into town and straight away got into Regina's face, challenging her every move like the smartass she was. Regina realised now that she'd actually enjoyed their arguments and especially delighted in the effect she seemed to have on Emma. The Sheriff certainly kept her on her toes, pushed her patience to the limit, and thrilled her with an intensity she hadn't felt before.

Not that any of that made Regina reconsider her moves. She played to win. Flustering the Sheriff was a favourite tactic.

"I'm sorry, dear. I really have no idea what you're talking about," said Regina in a voice viscous as honey.

Regina placed the heel of her hand under her chin and let her fingers curl in front of her mouth, drawing the tip of her pinky finger between her teeth with the soft bite of her smile. She noticed a pair of eyes drop, breaking the eye contact, and enjoyed her victory immensely.

Emma retaliated by hooking her index finger on the hem of Regina's skirt and slowly raising it higher, making sure to graze the skin on the way.

"My desk at the Sheriff's station..." suggested Emma. "That was on the list right?"

Regina forced her eyes not to roll. "Not the top of the list."

Emma stood up, smirking obviously, and placed her palms flat on the desk on either side of the brunette's hips. In this position, Emma had the advantage of height and as she leaned in closer so that her lower body pressed against trim nylon legs, it made Regina have to tilt her head back to meet the green eyes above her.

"Ah, so you want our first time to take place in bed then?" Emma's lips hovered tantalisingly close.

"I... thought so," Regina murmured distractedly.

Emma grazed her with a barely-there kiss. "Mm you've thought about it a lot have you?"

"Not particularly."

"Liar," breathed Emma. She dipped lower to capture Regina's warm mouth in a fuller kiss.

Unbeknownst to the two lovers, Mary Margaret appeared in the doorway and it was the second time the schoolteacher had come to Emma's office. The first time, upon seeing the pair engrossed in each other she'd had to double back and re-enter, deciding to make a lot more noise the second time around.

The knock on the doorframe startled Emma and she jumped back like she'd been caught with her fingers in the till. "Mo-Mary Margaret!"

"Hi Emma. Sorry to interrupt."

"Miss Blanchard. How lovely to see you," trilled Regina in a tone that indicated the exact opposite sentiment. She slid off Emma's desk and faced her former enemy defiantly as though waiting for a fight.

"Regina." Mary Margaret replied with exaggerated brightness. "You're just the person I wanted to see."

"Forgive me for not reciprocating," Regina deadpanned.

Emma leaned her face onto her hand and sighed. Sassy Regina had returned with a vengeance, fortified by her recent happiness injection. The Mayor always had been insufferably smug when she was winning whatever game she happened to be playing. But it was only a cover - Emma could tell from her stiff posture and tight jaw that Regina was uneasy at being discovered in this position.

"What are you doing here, Mary Margaret. Is Henry ok?" said Emma.

"Yes, he's fine, don't worry. Actually I'm here about another problem. The Acting Mayor quit so we have to find someone else to take over."

Emma rubbed her forehead wearily. "Ugh. He quits _now_ in the middle of all this stuff going on? Remind me how many Acting Mayors we've gone through so far?"

"Well, only two," admitted Mary Margaret. "But it seems like more since they've been somewhat lacking in skills and experience."

"Sooo why are you asking me what to do about it?"

"I'm not." Mary Margaret chanced a look at Regina. "I'm here to ask Regina to step in."

"Seriously?" said Emma, not out of unpleasant surprise.

Regina's expression remained expertly composed. "You want me to be Mayor again. Need I remind you that it was you who asked me to step down after the curse broke?"

Mary Margaret agreed with a firm nod. "I'm aware of how inconsistent this seems. Under the circumstances it was inappropriate then for you to continue to be in a position of power. Things are different now."

"Yes, I'm sure they've all forgotten the small matter of my cursing them into another realm."

Mary Margaret went on earnestly, like she'd practiced. "The curse gave people the knowledge and skills they'd need to do their jobs in Storybrooke didn't it? Otherwise Michael wouldn't know how to fix cars and Archie wouldn't know how to fix minds. Nobody here was given the knowledge necessary to be Mayor because that position was already taken. There's no-one else but you."

"You're saying that I'm the only choice? I feel so loved," Regina mocked.

"But you weren't given a cursed identity were you? How did you know how to do your job?" asked Emma, as the thought only just occurred to her.

"You're bound to become good at anything if you spend 28 years doing it," said Regina dismissively. "The obvious exception being you and dressing yourself properly."

_Aaaand we're back with the insults again._ Emma grinned inwardly. Regina must be feeling self-conscious about displaying their changed relationship status with her former enemy as an audience if she was resorting to taking potshots. There was no use hiding it anymore and she wasn't fooling anyone by trying to cover up the obvious. But it was still new to them both. It must be reminding her of raw memories of having her first new shoot of happiness plucked from it's stem before it had a chance to meet sunlight. Especially since the principle cause of that loss was standing right in front of her.

"Regina, this really is the best thing for the town," Mary Margaret was saying, trying to convince the reluctant woman with her reasoning.

"Er, don't we have more important things to worry about right now? Like the fact that the town is disappearing? Soon there might not be anything left for her to be the Mayor of," Emma pointed out.

"You are unbelievable," Regina sneered at Mary Margaret. "To expect me to take over when everything is going to hell. You expect me to be grateful for the offer of captaining this sinking ship?"

"Technically it's _shrinking,_ not sinking," muttered Emma, ever the smartass.

"Yes. It is." Regina's eyes flashed. "If I agree to this, I will go down in the books as the villain who let Storybrooke disappear and Snow White's hands will remain clean. Apart from the blood of my mother that is, which nobody cares to recall. Why exactly should I do this?"

"Regina," said Mary Margaret softly. "You were a good queen."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "I'm assuming you mean 'apart from the mass murdering and evil sorcery' right?"

"Yes-apart-from-that." Mary Margaret hissed, she shot her daughter a chastising look for a quick second and then returned her gaze to meet Regina's hard stare. "I meant that the kingdom was prosperous under your rule. Trade increased, health and living conditions of the people improved -"

"They certainly were healthy enough to burn effigies and scream obscenities at me from the gates every morning," said Regina in a droll voice.

Mary Margaret went on explaining with growing confidence that she was getting through. "Cora gave you master tuition in managing affairs of state. I know you favour the Leviathan political model, the necessity of absolute sovereignty. The people don't always recognise what is best for them. Sometimes a Queen must make hard decisions for the good of all, even if they are unpopular. In return for power, the Queen is charged with the protection and defense of the realm."

Regina regarded her blankly. "What would you know about social contract theory? You barely attended your tutors' sessions."

"I heard you talking about it once. You may not have paid much attention to me, but I paid attention to you, Stepmother."

Regina's posture, already ramrod straight, tensed further at the hated title.

"This is so typical of you, Snow, you want me to take the reins of your runaway horse again. There's nothing I regret more than saving you that day," said Regina in the cruellest voice she could muster.

Mary Margaret tilted her head with a kind smile. "No, you don't. If I had died that day, you wouldn't have Henry now..." _Or Emma. _The rest of the sentence lay unsaid but they all heard it.

Regina, to the credit of her self-composure, barely reacted.

"And you'd do it again," said Mary Margaret confidently. "Whether you knew the eventual outcome or not, you'd do it again because that is what good people do. That's why you will take the job."

"Overstate my goodness to your peril," Regina said stubbornly. "I refuse to go along with anything that will benefit you."

"What if it benefits you as well? I've never seen anyone enjoy paperwork as much as you." Mary Margaret's tone was innocent.

Regina lowered a menacing glare and twitched like she was going to move towards the pixie-haired brunette who was stubbornly maintaining her ground.

Detecting the danger, Emma stepped between them holding her hands at arms length like they were boxing opponents in a ring. "Woah hey! Take it easy. For god's sake stop baiting her, Mary Margaret. You guys are fairytale characters and I'm a real person so my opinion is the only valid one here."

They both gave her filthy looks.

"Um yeah," said Emma, nervously glancing between her Mom and her girlfriend and wondering which of them she'd get in more shit with over this.

"What I mean is, this is the real world and the town Mayor is an elected position. You can't just put whoever you want in power like you're usurping a throne. It's undemocratic or something."

Mary Margaret raised her chin. "Then we'll hold an election. Regina's running."

"Who will I be running against - you?" said Regina flatly. "I am not going to submit myself to such pointless humiliation. The masses may be fickle but they are not going to elect the Evil Queen over Snow White."

"I won't be running," said Mary Margaret simply. "I have no idea how to be Mayor. You'll take on the position of Acting Mayor for a while and then run as the only candidate. Storybrooke can either elect you... or not. Perhaps we'll learn something about the goodwill of the people."

Regina crossed her arms in irritation. "This is going to be one of your ideas isn't it? Like the time you said we should ride over to Tinburgh unannounced for a surprise tea party. Agatha _hated_ children, especially precocious little girls. That was _not_ a good idea."

"Why does everyone keep saying that!" blurted Mary Margaret.

After an awkward pause Mary Margaret left in a flustered huff, muttering something about seeing them at home later. She was satisfied that she'd made her offer and her point without it ending in bloodshed but it was always wearying going to battle with Regina. Words and magic - the former sovereign wielded both arguments and spells with exceptional precision and without backing down. Exactly the reason why she was suitable for the job.

"So. You're gonna be my boss again," said Emma, peering at Regina with half-closed eyes when they were alone again. "Kinky."

"Technically I haven't agreed to it yet," said Regina stubbornly.

Emma snaked an arm around her waist, trying to get her prickly girlfriend to warm up. "Come on, Regina. Forget for five seconds where the offer came from and think about it, ok? You are the right choice. Getting your job back will be good for you. And if you're thinking about dabbling in any sort of corruption … well, I'm sure the Sheriff can find a way to make you behave."

Regina ignored the last part and admitted her last reason for hesitating. "What if I lose? Henry is going to be disappointed."

"Regina," said Emma with a loaded smirk. "What if you _win_?"

The former Evil Queen had received two offers that day: an unscrupulous one which had tempted her sorely and an honest one that she was tempted to spurn since it came from an unwanted source. Begrudgingly, Regina realised she knew which one was right. How irritating.

* * *

The next morning, everyone was surprised to see that Em had returned to the apartment sometime during the night. She didn't explain where she'd gone or why despite their questioning and her parents were just glad to see her safe so they decided to let it slide. Ri and Henry had missed her the most and had least understood her absence, but the troubled teen barely responded when they said how much they'd missed her and were glad to have her back.

Em must've woke up in a cranky mood and it only got worse when she saw Emma and Regina come out of the same bedroom again. Over breakfast, she glared at anyone who spoke to her and even ignored Ri when she slid her hand under the table out of concern. The adults got up and went about their morning getting ready for work or school, intending to leave the teens alone during the day again.

Henry was chattering happily to Regina and Emma about random things as they tried to pack his schoolbag and lunchbox in time for him to get the bus. The long-held tension between his mothers had dissipated and the three of them had fallen into a comfortable arrangement of talking and laughing, with plenty of smiles shared between the two moms. Though the true nature of the change between them had gone over his head, Henry seemed happy that they were getting along together.

But when Em noticed Ri watching them with a hopeful smile the blonde teen's bad mood turned even blacker.

"Will you shut up kid? You're giving me a headache," snapped Em. She shoved her chair back with a harsh scrape and stood up.

All four adults were ready to reprimand her for being so mean to the little boy, but they were shocked by who got in first in a tone they'd never heard from her before and it was like a match had been struck in a box full of tinder.

"Don't talk to him like that!" said Ri, jumping to her feet.

Em stepped up into Ri's face so they were toe-to-toe. "Like what. Who cares, he's a brat."

"No he isn't. You are the brat, Em Swan. He's just a child, he doesn't need you being nasty to him."

"So what. When I was his age-"

"Just because you were treated badly is no reason to take it out on him!"

Seeing that the teens were staring each other down heatedly and gearing up for an explosive fight, Mary Margaret tried to intervene. "Girls, maybe you should calm down and try to-"

Em continued like she hadn't heard. "What would you know about anything, Ri. You're such a pampered little princess, you don't know shit about how the world really is. The world sucks and people are idiots. No-one learns anything from being sheltered from the truth."

"That might be true but I know the only reason you're mean to Henry is that you're jealous."

"What? No I'm not," Em scoffed defensively.

"Oh yes you are. You're both so alike and you see his life, this family he's got, and you're jealous because you never had any of it. He has the childhood you wish you had yourself."

"What I wish, Ri, is that I hadn't told you any of that stuff. I shouldn't have trusted you!"

Ri softened her expression and voice, afraid that she'd gone too far and wanting to be able to comfort her without being rebuffed. She lowered her clenching hands to put them away. "Em, I'm sorry. Snapping at you, I shouldn't have done that. I'm not trying to hurt you-"

"Yeah well, you're doing a good job of it, Your Highness," Em spat. "I'll talk to him however I want to."

Ri propped her hands on her hips. "You will not, Em Swan. Not while I'm around. It's easier to build up a child than it is to repair an adult. You're not getting anywhere near him if you continue to treat him like you have been."

"Stop coddling the kid. He'll be fine. But he'll never get anywhere in life if he's tied to your apron strings and has his mother controlling his every move. You really got the whole overprotective Mom thing happening already don't you, Ri?"

"What does that mean?"

Em rolled her eyes and half turned away with her arms folded tensely across her front. "Fine, I don't care. He's your kid. Do what you want with him."

"What are you talking about? No." Ri shook her head quickly. "He's Emma's son and it must hurt his feelings terribly when you're so hostile to him. You have to try to get to know him. He's yours."

"No, he's not. Where'd you get that idea? He's Regina's son. He's _yours_."

The teens were both confused and turned to their older selves to resolve the apparent contradiction.

Emma and Regina hadn't tried to break up the fight between their younger selves so far because it was well, bizarre. It seemed like they'd already had this exact fight several times over the last year, arguing over their son and their different claims to being his mother. It was that sense of deja vu that stunned them into watching it unfold as third parties, since they'd only experienced it previously from their own perspectives. Now, things were new and tentative between them, they were finally making progress, they were starting to trust each other and share Henry... but how could they explain all of that? It felt incredibly strange watching _themselves _fight.

The day the girls arrived in Storybrooke they'd separated and gone with each other's older counterpart. Ri must've assumed that Henry was Emma's son because he lived with her, and Em had heard from Regina that he was her son but was being kept away from her by Emma. Now the girls were about to find out the truth... that he was both of theirs, even though they weren't together?

"Is it true?" asked Ri hopefully. "Please tell me, I need to know. Is he really mine?"

"You are my mom, Ri," Henry piped up.

"Really? Oh, I have a son one day." Ri's eyes shone and she went straight to him to cup gentle hands around his face, as though seeing him for the first time.

Henry nodded. "Yup!"

Ri looked up at Regina and frowned. "But when I asked you if I ever get to have children you said 'yes and no'."

"I didn't give birth to him while I was married. I adopted him after I came to this world," said Regina.

"I don't understand what that is," said Ri. "I thought he belonged to Emma. He's so much like her."

Em narrowed her eyes, looking from Henry to her older self. Ri may have been confused by both the physical and social implications of adoption but _she_ certainly wasn't. She knew things weren't right here. The kid had been adopted by Regina so why had Emma been trying to keep him away from her before all this started? What would give her the right to take the kid away if he wasn't hers to take? How could he belong to Emma as well? Unless-

"Kid, how old are you," asked Em evenly.

"Em, listen, it's not what you think-" Emma started to reply.

"I'm eleven," said Henry. "Emma's 28, nearly 29."

Em glared at her older self hatefully after she'd done the simple math and realised what it had added up to. She was not long from getting pregnant and not only that-

"_You gave him up_?!" yelled Em angrily. "How could you! I can't believe this. I HATE who I become."

Em stormed out of the apartment before anyone could stop her, slamming the door behind her. The sound rang in the silence that remained as the rest of the family stood stunned by the teens' fight and the connection they'd finally made to each other.

Ri was still mesmerised by Henry and the new knowledge that he would one day belong to her. She was crying hard as she pulled him into a hug and murmured in his ear in case he was upset by what he'd heard. But in trying to comfort him she was also looking for some herself after her explosive fight with Em.

"You're so beautiful, Henry. I can't wait. Everything will be worth it if I can just have you. You are such a wonderful little person. Don't you worry, sweetheart, Em will come around. She just doesn't know you yet."

Henry's voice was muffled into Ri's shoulder. "I know. Emma acted weird when she first met me too. It'll be okay, Ri. You'll see. I'll make everything okay, I promise."

Mary Margaret opened and closed her mouth several times, searching for words to describe what she'd just seen. "Were they fighting over Henry? Em thought he was Regina's son and Ri thought he was Emma's?"

Emma had the grace to look a little chagrined. "Apparently."

"That felt kinda familiar," said David.

"Yes, it did." Mary Margaret looked pointedly at the older Emma and Regina like they were naughty students. "They looked _exactly_ like their older selves just now. Fighting over their son."

Regina glanced worriedly at the front door. "I'll go after her. She shouldn't be alone right now."

"No." Emma shook her head firmly. "Not this time. You take yours and I'll take mine."

Regina grabbed her hand to stop her for a moment. "Be kind to yourself, Emma. She's very hurt. What are you going to say to her?"

Emma set her mouth in in a grim line. "What she needs to hear."


	27. Myself and I

**Double Trouble 27**

**Chapter 27 'Myself and I'**

Only when the boy was in danger of missing his schoolbus did Ri reluctantly let go of Henry. Since finding out he was her son, she could hardly take her eyes off him or keep from hugging him. After hearing nothing but bleak details of her future since coming to Storybrooke - of pain and suffering and the curse that brought them - Ri had finally seen a bright ray of hope. Something that would make enduring all of it worthwhile.

The fear that she'd be lonely forever had been erased in an instant upon learning that the sweet little boy who she already loved would be _hers. _

He would be Em's son too. That thought gave her mixed joy and pain. She would be getting her chance at motherhood at the expense of Em having to give up her baby. For a decade the three of them would be split in two, not even knowing what they were all missing.

Ri could feel how perfect it'd be. If only they could get their happy ending. Maybe all they needed was a little help...

"Reginaaa," sang Ri innocently, daintily sitting on the couch next to her older self. "Emma's great isn't she? She's so strong and unfailingly loyal and protective. I always feel safe with her. She never breaks her promises. Trust is so important don't you think?"

Regina raised a lazy eyebrow. "I suppose."

"She's really pretty too. I know her choice of attire is sometimes strange, but she is very attractive in those tight pants that give her figure such definition. Did you see her arms the other day when she came out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel? I think she must be quite athletic."

"Indeed."

"And she's wonderful with Henry! Oh I still can't believe he's our son. It's like a dream come true. I have a son who is Em's child as well. Emma is a good mother isn't she?"

"She allows him to have too many sweets," said Regina dismissively.

"Um... and another thing, I think she really likes you," said Ri hesitantly. "I don't know what happened between you two before, but I've noticed things getting better these past few days. Maybe you could give her another chance? I know it's overwhelming but you might like to try again?"

"I might." Regina pursed her lips into a teasing smile.

Ri crinkled her brow and pouted when she finally realised what her older self was doing. "You're humouring me. Why?"

"Emma and I-"

"REALLY?!" Ri squealed before her double could get any more out, and then clapped her hands over her mouth.

"I don't remember ever being able to produce that high-pitched noise."

"You asked her to marry you?" gasped Ri. She had her fists balled up under her chin.

Regina's smile was all teeth and scarlet lipstick. "Not exactly. She loves me. I told her I love her too."

Ri's eyes sparkled. "Oh! How lovely. I am so jealous. I can't even get the words out with Em," the teen finished with a pout.

"You pushed her away and she misunderstood why. The same thing happened with Emma and I last year."

Ri shook her head sadly. "I didn't mean to. I was scared. I'm always scared."

"You look at the world and all you see is threats," said Regina softly. "That isn't necessarily an accurate perception of the way things are. The world we came from was far from fair. My grief led me down a dark path, I suppressed fear only by instilling terror in others. It felt like there was no other option. This world affords a better chance. Many will argue that I can never deserve it but I want to find happiness again."

Regina saw Ri's eyes fill with tears and reached out to stroke her cheek gently. "You already feel the guilt and magnitude of what I've done. Free yourself of those feelings for now. You're here for perhaps a short time but you are not alone like I have been. You have Em. Don't be afraid to tell her how you feel."

A tear dripped down Ri's cheek onto Regina's thumb. "I'm sorry. I don't know how."

"I know it's hard for you. The only real way to deal with fear is to face it."

Ri pouted grumpily at the trite expression. "I suppose that might be irritatingly accurate."

"If you were practicing jumps with Rocinante and he threw you what would you do?"

"That wouldn't happen. I have too good a seat and Rocinante and I are very familiar with one another."

Regina raised her eyebrows and gave her evasive younger self an exacting look. They both knew that her stubborn childhood steed had thrown her several times when they were only newly acquainted.

"Fine!" sighed Ri exasperatedly. "I'd go riding again, you know I would. But this isn't like that. I'm not scared of Rocinante. I wouldn't want to give up riding so I'd definitely try again."

"Don't you think the same principle could apply elsewhere?"

"You mean one day I don't have to be afraid all the time? I can be free?" asked Ri hopefully, searching Regina's face for evidence that she had indeed come through it herself.

The older Regina didn't answer, instead letting the question linger like humidity in the air. The two of them settled into a comfortable peace, one pondering future possibilities, the other letting the door to the past close.

Ri smiled and nodded to herself. "Everybody thinks I'm weak. They think I need to be protected from whatever history has in store for me and that going through all of it won't be worth it in the end. But I'm as strong as I need to be. I could endure anything for my child... and for my girl. You and Emma and Henry will get your happy ending if it's the last thing I do."

"I think we might," agreed Regina.

"But what should I do about Em and I _now_?" said Ri despondently. "We've hurt each other so badly it seems like nothing can fix it and it just keeps getting worse and worse."

Regina indicated with her eyes to hint at the coat hooks near the door. "First, we should probably go find them. They've been gone long enough. It's cold out don't you think?"

* * *

Emma approached the swingset and sat down in the unoccupied one. Em was sitting beside her, not swinging, just staring blankly ahead. To anyone who didn't know what had been going on they looked like a pair of identical twins right down to the expression on their faces.

"Hey," said Emma.

"Hey," returned Em morosely.

"I was eighteen when I had Henry," explained Emma without further preamble.

"Tell me it wasn't Dean cos I am so not goin' there again."

Emma snorted. "No, it wasn't him. I met Neal when I was boosting a car in Phoenix- my car actually."

"You drive a stolen car, Sheriff?" Em raised her eyebrows slyly.

"He was a thief too, we got together for a while. I saw him again recently in New York for the first time in ten years."

"Did you love him," asked Em, scuffing her foot in the sand.

"Yeah, actually I did," admitted Emma, her tone slightly wistful but laced with the bitterness that comes from seeing a rosy past with clearer vision. "But I was young and stupid like you, I would've gone with anyone who seemed like they cared about me. But just because you love someone doesn't mean they're good for you. I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't seen him again."

"So he didn't love you back? Ugh, typical. Why does that always happen to me."

"No, I think he did, but sometimes love isn't enough. I trusted him and- anyway it's a boring story. He left me and I went to prison. That's it."

Em cringed. "The kid was born _in jail_?"

"Yeah," sighed Emma.

Em kicked off the ground and started swinging back and forth for a while, thinking about the new information about her future self's past. She stopped again abruptly digging her feet in with a crunch.

"But WHY. Why would you give him up? This was my chance to have a family and you let it go. How could you abandon him like that? _Like I was._"

"I wasn't ready," said Emma defensively. "I was a mess and he deserved a lot better. You don't know what it's like yet, holding this tiny little person who is perfect and helpless and he depends on you for everything. I wasn't good enough for him."

"But at least we would've been together," implored Em.

Emma sighed painfully. "I couldn't take care of him properly. Kids need a lot of stuff. They need a home and someone to guide them and cook for them and teach them how to read. I had nothing to give him."

"So you took your chances, hoping that he'd actually get all that? What if he'd ended up somewhere like the fucking Hendersens huh?"

"I know, I know!" cried Emma, unpleasantly reminded of the guilt she'd carried for years. "There were bad places out there but there were good ones too. I wanted him to have his best chance. He got Regina. He didn't end up unwanted like I did. He _won_."

Em pondered that quietly. "Ri really wants kids someday. She's gonna be a great Mom."

Emma suspected there was more to the fight between the girls, she knew that Em had some thought running around in her head that was pushing her escape buttons. Something was bothering the teen, something to do with finding out that Henry was both her son and Regina's... and something that had been making her act out against Ri.

"You know, Regina and I fought a lot when we first met. Actually, we starting fighting almost the minute we first laid eyes on each other. Mostly about Henry," admitted Emma.

"So there's no hope for us?" said Em bleakly. "Ri and I don't get together in the future. It just gets worse and worse from here."

"We weren't always fighting last year. We have more in common than you'd think. There were a few moments when we kinda connected. But uh, recently things have... changed for the better."

Em whipped her head around in surprise. "Are you saying-"

"Yeah," Emma smiled and was pleased to see the expression mirrored on her double's face. "I don't know what we are yet but we're something."

"That's awesome! Wow." Em nodded wistfully to herself. _Maybe things really would be okay one day. _She held up her fist to Emma for a Bro Fist Bump. "Have you been to Second Base yet, Crankypants? Cos if you need any tips just let me know, you could learn a thing or two from me."

Emma groaned. "Oh god why. Why are you so annoying? No, I do not need any help in that area."

"What does a hottie like Regina see in a boring loser like you? I just don't know," said Em with a straight face.

"Probably the same thing Ri sees in you."

Em looked away sadly. "Yeah? What's that."

"Well, maybe you should ask _her_ why she loves you. Why don't you tell me why you've been treating her like crap since the other night."

Em leaned her head against the chain of the swing. "You already know don't you."

"Pretend I don't."

"You said it before. Just because you love someone doesn't mean they're good for you."

"You're afraid of Ri? Because of who she grows up to be?"

"No!" denied Em angrily. "You know full well I meant _me_. I'm bad for her. Look what happened the other night when we were together. I broke her heart. She told me what happens in the book, the Evil Queen wanted vengeance for her broken heart. I can't do that to her. I don't want to be one of the people who puts her on that path. I won't."

"That's not going to happen, Em."

"You don't know that. I just want her to be happy. I want her to have everything she wishes for."

"Like marriage, children?"

"I knew she was Henry's Mom. I figured that she was with some guy, her husband, but he was no longer in the picture. I didn't want to get in the way of that happening for Ri. I didn't want to ruin her chance of becoming a mother. She'd be crushed if Henry was never born, she loves him so much already."

Emma nodded slowly. "You know the truth now. It's actually the opposite, she gets to become a mother because of you. It's you who brings Henry into this world."

Em sniffled wetly and drew the back of her hand across her nose. "Yeah. I'd do anything to make Ri happy. I feel so bad for hurting her. I'm bad for her. I hate myself sometimes."

Emma got up off the swing and went to crouch down in front of Em's feet. The teen avoided her gaze though, stubbornly hiding the tears in her eyes.

"You are not bad," said Emma softly. "I know what everyone keeps saying and it's hard not to believe it... but it's not true. You are not a bad kid. You're actually a really good kid."

Em started to sob, so Emma cupped her flushed face with one hand on either side, smoothing the wisps of blonde hair back.

"I know your whole life has sucked," whispered Emma. "It's a crapfest, especially now at seventeen. You're not a kid anymore but you're not old enough to be a full adult and so you're stuck in some kind of purgatory where the adults don't take proper care of you but you can't take care of yourself yet either. I promise you, life does get better. It won't always be like this. You won't always be powerless... and you won't always be alone."

"I'm so sick of it!" cried Em thickly. "I don't wanna be alone anymore."

"I know we don't know what's going to happen but you've got a chance here that I never had. You've got a chance to be with Ri now, while you're both here. Don't waste it."

Emma placed her hands on her younger self's jean-clad knees. "And maybe you could try to get to know Henry?"

"Can't believe he's my kid," murmured Em. Her eyes unfocused as she tried to remember everything she'd said to him. She wished now that she'd paid more attention and hadn't ignored him quite so much. _He's mine. I have a kid. No wonder he's such a brat!_

* * *

The Emma's were still sitting on the swings in the park, staring absentmindedly and occasionally talking to each other, when they noticed they were no longer alone.

The Regina's were now standing at the edge of the sand and each of them was holding a jacket that belonged to her respective Emma. They looked like identical twins but for their haircuts and their stances: Ri always stood lightly on the front of her feet like she expected to spring off at any moment, Regina was much more solidly grounded as if the gravity of her past constantly dragged her down.

The younger brunette looked frightfully nervous and stayed back when Regina approached them. Emma got up and allowed Regina to slip the jacket around her, looking like they were about to leave.

Em glanced at Ri and then shot her older self a panicked look. "Hey, you're leaving me?" whispered the teen worriedly.

"What are you afraid of?" teased Emma. "Ri's a little sweetie. I've got the scary older meaner one."

Regina jabbed her in the ribs for that jibe. "Em, don't listen to your older self. It'll be fine. Just... wait for her to tell you, otherwise she won't get it out."

The pair of adults continued to bicker and banter as they left the park. As they passed a nervous-looking Ri, Emma gave her shoulder a little squeeze and whispered some words of encouragement in her ear.

Once they were gone, Ri approached Em and held out the sports jacket. "A-are you cold? You ran out without your jacket. Here."

Em accepted it with a small smile of thanks and put it on wordlessly.

"Oh Em, you look like you've been crying, are you ok?" Ri fidgeted and looked at her feet. "I don't like it when we fight. But... even when we're mad at each other... I find that I still... feel the same way about you... Maybe it's like that for you too?"

Em groaned internally. _Oh this is so painful! _Waiting for Ri to speak up could take forever. All she wanted was to throw her arms around the other girl so they could make up, but she wanted to give Ri the chance to figure things out herself for once.

"Henry's gone to school by now." Ri frowned slightly, seemingly afraid of re-introducing the topic that'd led to their fight. "Um... I didn't know that you didn't know he was yours... and I didn't know he was mine. But he is... he's our son and maybe we should … have a talk about that. Later."

Ri swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry for shouting at you, Em. I said very unkind things. I just get so worried about Henry sometimes that I can't think of anything else."

Em nodded and spoke softly. "I'm sorry too, Ri. You were right, I was jealous. I guess I resented him because I thought it meant you and I didn't end up together. I was a jerk - to both of you. You don't know how much I regret that now."

"I know how much it must hurt to find out that you gave up your child. But Emma and Regina are together now, do you know? I think we're going to be a family one day. Maybe things really will be ok for us in the end. You and I have more in common than it seems, even though we're from different worlds and different times. We both want the same things in life, I feel."

They lapsed into an awkward silence. Em kicked the sand under her swing and traced out a few patterns.

"Em? I have something I want to tell you."

Em froze but didn't interrupt.

"Fine," Ri sighed and took a deep breath to buoy her courage. "You don't have to say anything, you can just listen. You were right before when you said I don't know anything about the world. Most people overlook me and hardly anyone ever listens to me or asks me what I think or feel about anything - except you. You were the first person I met here but you were also the first person who ever cared enough to hear me, even when I didn't speak at all. When you said you loved me the other night I was scared and my heart got overwhelmed. I'm sorry I hurt you and pushed you away. I know you're listening so I'll say it anyway:

"I love you."

Unable to stand it another second, Em leaped off the swing and threw her arms around Ri and held her tight. She could feel the petite girl's hot form trembling against her.

"I love you so much, Ri!" whispered Em, burying her face in silky dark hair.

"I can't tell you how dearly I've missed holding you, Em," sighed Ri.

"Missed you too. I'm never gonna let you go ever again ok? Never ever."

Ri giggled. "Then we shall be an odd-looking pair trying to walk around wrapped up in each other like this."

"Don't care," laughed Em.

"It ought to make bathing rather interesting."

Em snorted. "Ahm, no, it'd make it _very_ interesting."

Ri pulled back a little so she could look her in the eyes. "Em, I want you to know. I want you to understand what happened the other night. I'm really sorry I let you take the blame for getting us in trouble. You don't know what it's like where I come from. I'm only worth my marriage value and without that... I panicked. I don't know if we were supposed to love each other or not, but it feels so right. I wanted to be with you that way."

Em tilted her head sympathetically. "Ri, just because you want something doesn't mean you should take it. But I don't care if we're supposed to be together, all I know is I love you more than anything and I'd wait for you forever. You're worth everything to me. I'll do anything to make sure we get our family, I promise you I'll make it happen. Whatever it takes."

"Me too."

Em went to kiss her and paused millimetres away, letting Ri close the final distance herself. It was soft and sweet and chaste but it sealed the deal.

"Does this mean you're my girlfriend again?" said Ri.

"Nuh uh. It means you're _my_ girlfriend."

Ri frowned playfully. "That's the same thing! Surely this is a commutative arrangement."

Em retorted in the same tone. "Nope. You're mine. I said I loved you first."

"That doesn't necessarily mean you were the first one to fall in love though."

"Of course I was first. It was love at first sight for me."

"Me too," Ri raised her chin smugly. "I was first because I saw you in the woods before you saw me."

Em opened her mouth as if to reply and paused. _Damn._

"See! I'm right," declared Ri triumphantly.

"It doesn't really matter who was first does it? The important thing is we're together now."

"You're only saying that because you lost the argument."

Em laughed, indicating that she was just having her on. "Yep. I'm glad we met in the woods that day, Ri. Imagine if we'd missed each other? Maybe we wouldn't have fallen in love. Maybe we wouldn't have even met."

"That is a strange thought. What happens to someone if they never end up meeting their true love? I wonder if they miss their chance completely? We could've passed right by each other and never known how things could've been."

"I dunno. It's weird that we're together anyway. Technically we're not supposed to be here, so we were never meant to meet when we did."

"We would've been like them and met for the first time as adults."

"Yeah." Em scrunched her face, clearly unhappy with the idea of having to wait that long.

Ri's brow creased with worry. "What happens when we have to go back to where we came from? Emma and Regina don't remember being us so that means we won't remember each other. We'll each be alone again and we won't even know it."

Em cupped Ri's face and looked at her earnestly. "Do you trust me? I can find anyone I'm looking for. I will find you again one day. I always keep my promises."

"But we won't remember-"

Em winked. "Don't worry, I'll do something to get your attention. You won't miss it."

"Knowing you it'll be something loud and obnoxious, Em," Ri teased, tickling her around the middle.

Em laughed. "Probably."

Ri smiled beautifully and draped her hands around Em's neck, letting her wrists cross. "Then I'll give you something sweet, to remember me by."

"There's nothing sweeter than you, Ri."

"You'd better make sure. Kiss me again," murmured Ri, mere seconds before Em's lips captured hers.


	28. Call of duty

**Double Trouble 28**

**A/N:** Oh em gee this was supposed to go up three days ago but life got in the way. The bank froze my accounts because of identity thieves so I've had three computers to try to disinfect of malware, oh and also no access to money. Yay. I suppose I should be flattered that my identity is worth stealing but I am miffed that they didn't turn up to do my job for me. I've got to mark assignments this weekend but I'll try to have another chapter ready soon.

Thanks for the lovely reviews for last chapter :) you guys make my day. As several people picked up the "loud and obnoxious" way of getting Regina's attention was Emma chainsawing the apple tree in 1x02 and the "something sweet" was Regina giving Emma the apple.

* * *

**Chapter 28 'Call of duty'**

It had been several days since the new Acting Mayor had reluctantly returned to office but the sound of protesters yelling from outside Town Hall had yet to die down.

The former Evil Queen was well-used to the peasants screaming at her from the safety of their faceless hoards, but Regina Mills had to admit that the people here were more creative with their signs and less vulgar with their slogans than they had ever been in the Enchanted Forest. She stood up behind her desk and peeked through the curtains at the brightly coloured bobbing signs:

[ Read the signs... STORYBROOKE OR STORYBROKEN? ]

[ EVIL wears a pretty face and the devil wears PRADA ]

[ Out damned despot! ]

[ Burn the witch! ]

[ PEOPLE HATE YOU ]

Well, that last one was just juvenile and not even clever. Regina rolled her eyes. The only thing that continued to surprise her was the impressive endurance that this little crowd of hecklers was displaying. They did look rather bonechilled and hungry when she strode through the parking lot to her heated office every morning with a takeaway cup of hot vanilla latte in her hand.

The Sheriff had gone ballistic when she'd found out.

_"Geezus Regina, there's a line outside for your head! Where did these protesters come from?"_

_"The comfort of their homes and workplaces I imagine, dear," said Regina dryly, returning back to her paperwork._

_"Regina! How can you be so calm? We have to do something about this!"_

_"A Queen does not rise from her throne to address a peasant throwing stones."_

_Emma made a growl of frustration. "What if Henry comes to visit you after school and sees that crap about his mother? What if one of them is a dangerous lunatic? Can't I arrest them?"_

_"They are merely invoking their democratic right to be a nuisance and voice their idiotic opinions in the pithiest way possible. As you keep reminding me you are a real person," Regina arched an eyebrow, "and in the real world exercising free speech is not cause for arrest."_

_Emma glared and gritted her teeth. "Whatever. But the second any one of them lays a hand on you or threatens you in any way I'm gonna throw their ass in a cell. I mean it, Regina," she said seriously. "This isn't a joke. If you get any threats - I don't care if it's by phone, email, or carrier pigeon - I want you to notify me immediately."_

_Regina softened her expression. "Emma. Thankyou, but I don't need protection. You don't need to rally the battle cry every time someone looks at me the wrong way."_

_"I'm worried about you," said Emma earnestly. _

_It wasn't the last time she'd said it and with a face so pleading and sincere that it made Regina's heart melt... but she felt that the concern was unnecessary._

That was why she hadn't told Emma about the bloody pig's heart she'd found wrapped in newspaper on her doorstep at home that morning. It had failed in its obvious intent to rattle her and she really did not have time for such nonsense. Owing to the previous Acting Mayors' collective incompetence there was a huge backlog of work waiting for her upon her return. Getting the Sheriff's office involved would only complicate matters and cause further delays.

Regina was just about to leave the window and resume her position at her desk when a hush fell over the protesters. The absence of noise caught her attention and she parted the curtains again. The sight on the impeccably manicured lawn caused her eyes to harden dangerously.

Standing apart from the protesters, holding up his own piece of cardboard, was the familiar form of a precocious little boy yelling retorts at the crowd's insults.

_Her_ precocious little boy.

She'd been calm, cool, and detached so far. She hadn't deigned to bestow any attention on the protesters beyond what they deserved (which was none). They hadn't yet seen her get angry, they hadn't yet seen the return of the Evil Queen … but they were able to.

* * *

Regina took the fire stairs to the ground floor's side exit and pressed her speed dial number on her phone.

"Sheriff Swan? Get here now," she barked into the phone and swiftly hung up, confident that she'd be hearing the sound of police sirens in under three minutes.

The crowd outside Town Hall was too busy arguing with the child to notice her striding across the lawn towards them with a countenance seething with ice-cold fury. Her protective instinct flared immediately at the sight of them with her son.

"...but she's my Mom!" Henry yelled angrily, holding up his little cardboard. "_This_ is the real Evil Queen!"

"Henry James Mills! What are you doing here?" said Regina sternly. "You should be at school."

Henry froze and stopped arguing, recognising what all kids instinctively know - that when your Mom uses all your names at once in _that_ tone of voice it means you are in deep doo-doo.

Regina reached the group and grabbed Henry by the shoulder to pull him behind her, physically shielding him from their sight.

"But Mo-om!" Henry protested.

"Quiet, Henry. I don't want to hear it."

Regina faced down the small crowd with a stony expression. "Leave my son out of this. The police have been called. I suggest you disband or continue protesting peacefully without involving or otherwise endangering a child."

The closest member of the crowd was a beefy man in blue overalls with a name patch that read BOB and he had a booming voice. "We weren't doin nothin! We was just talking to yer boy there, y' Majesty. He seems to think yer not as evil as you look."

Regina smiled beatifically at the man who towered over her and likely outweighed her fourfold. "He's wrong. I am far worse."

More voices called out accompanied by jeers and cheers of agreement:

_"He's not even your son!"_

_"We heard you were abusing him for years!"_

_"If you can't control your own kid, how can you control an entire town!"_

Regina couldn't believe the stupidity she was hearing. "Obviously you don't have children. They don't necessarily stay where you put them."

A college-age youth lowered his sign and called out to her in a more rational way. "Why should we accept a corrupt Mayor again? This is an elected position and there was no vote."

"That is true," conceded Regina diplomatically. "I have been asked to temporarily fill the post of Acting Mayor. There will be an election."

A slender woman tossed her ankle-length plait over her shoulder and snapped her gum. "You were the one who, like, brought us to this world. You designed our identities and we're stuck with them now. I used to be royalty and now I'm, like, a hairdresser? How is that fair!"

Regina gritted her teeth. "The curse has left us with deeply complicated problems that can't be solved by rhetoric. I will be holding a press conference to address any concerns that the people of Storybrooke have so that we can move forward."

Bob folded his meaty arms across his barrel-chest. "Yer pure evil, woman, and we're not gonna believe a word. Yer should be locked up. We're not gonna stop the protest until yer listen to us and turn yerself in!"

"Given my firm grip on reality and my intolerance of utter blather that seems unlikely," said Regina in a dismissive tone.

The whoop of police sirens interrupted and Emma was out of the cruiser in seconds, leaving the door swinging.

"Hi Emma," Henry called out happily.

"Henry, get in the car. Now," Emma commanded, without taking her eyes off the crowd.

The boy ran past as Emma came to stand next to Regina, posturing so that her badge and gun were both highly visible.

"Is there a problem here, Madam Mayor?"

"Howdy Sheriff," said Bob in what he thought was a polite voice. "We was just explainin' to the Mayor here that we know she's still an evil witch."

Emma glared at Regina as if to say 'I told you so' and then faced the crowd with her palms up.

"Alright, I've had enough of this. All of you get back up there near the road. I can't stop you protesting but you're not doing it on the premises and interfering with Town business. _And_," Emma shot Regina a quick look, "when I find out which one of you has been dumping bloody hearts on her doorstep every morning I'm gonna slap a restraining order on your ass. Now, move it!"

The crowd finally dispersed and Emma let out a breath, facing Regina with concern.

"You alright," asked Emma gruffly.

"I'm fine, Sheriff. I appreciate the hasty response time."

"I'm glad you called me before anything happened to you. Or Henry."

Regina shook her head grimly. "I didn't call you for our safety. I called you to protect theirs. They were in danger from _me_."

"Oh god," Emma said under her breath. "Those idiots are lucky you've changed. But you still should've told me about the hearts."

Regina bent over to retrieve the small rectangle of cardboard that had fallen out of Henry's hands. She turned it over and recognised it immediately, feeling a painful-but-pleasant clenching in her chest. It was a old photo of the two of them: Regina standing by the nursery window with a tiny baby boy wrapped in a blue blanket in her arms.

"I'll take Henry back to school," said Emma firmly. "He's grounded for the next century. Or two."

"Tell him I love him."

"Nooo Regina, don't be going soft now or _I'm_ gonna have to start being the responsible one. Being the discipliner would make me a total hypocrite given all the trouble I got into as a kid."

"That's not a word. It's 'disciplinarian'."

Emma cocked an eyebrow. "You're not the least bit angry?"

"Not at Henry. I wasn't aware that our son had an interest in politics," said Regina simply.

"What are you talking about. He's too smart for his own good. He's _your_ son," scoffed Emma. "Of course he's gonna turn up here and defend you."

"He has a hero-complex. Like his mother," teased Regina, lowering her husky voice. "Who incidentally looked incredibly handsome displaying that tough-gruff Sheriff act and thrusting out her chest so that everyone could see the shiny badge of authority. You take 'protect and serve' very seriously, don't you."

"When it comes to my family I do." Emma licked her lips. "I really want to kiss you right now, but they're watching. They can see from the road."

"If it wouldn't lose me the election and traumatise my son for life I'd throw you down on the lawn right now and have my way with you, Sheriff."

Emma groaned softly at the images she now had in her mind. "I take it back. You haven't changed a bit. You are an evil, evil woman."

"Yes dear, it's right there in my name. Later," said Regina, before heading back to her office with a smile. She sent a little wave to Henry sitting in the police cruiser on the way.

* * *

"Em, squeeze your thighs a little more," said Ri.

"I don't know what I'm doing," said Em, frustrated that she couldn't get it right.

"Keep your back straight but don't tense so much. Let yourself adjust with the movement."

"I feel like I'm gonna fall off!"

Ri smiled up at her and held the reins as she walked the pony around the paddock. "You won't. You're doing fine for a beginner."

"This is harder than it looks," grumbled Em. "I bet my horse is getting bored with me."

Ri had asked Mary Margaret to drop them both off at the stables so they could go riding. Or rather, so that she could teach Em a few basics and then go for a proper ride herself. She'd picked out an older gentle pony for Em who had never ridden before. A concept that Ri found hard to imagine since she'd been sat on a horse for the first time not long after she'd learned to walk and it was equally as natural to her.

"I'm gonna have a sore ass tomorrow aren't I," said Em ruefully.

Ri giggled. "Most probably. You don't have a natural seat I'm afraid."

"Did you just insult my ass? I'd be more convinced if you weren't blushing, Ri."

"You do look nice in those jeans."

"Oh just you wait till I get back on the ground..."

"Promises are easily made. Em, concentrate on what you're doing first. You're lucky the pony knows what she's doing otherwise she'd be hopelessly confused."

When Em had had enough of her basic riding instruction, Ri helped her down by catching her around the waist as she slid to the ground. The blonde teen went off to wait to the side of the paddock while Ri brought out the horse that she was going to ride.

Em's jaw dropped open when she noticed the petite brunette leading an enormous black stallion out of the stables. The horse was so tall that Ri would hardly be able to see over him, his coat shone like obsidian and he had a bold look in his coal-black eye that spoke of unpredictability and willfulness.

Em called out. "Holy shit, Ri! You're going to ride THAT? He's a monster."

Ri sent her a confident look. "Don't judge a horse before you have been introduced. His name is Blaze."

Em raised an eyebrow. "You want me to meet a horse?"

When they neared Em, the stallion stopped when Ri did and shook his head with a snort, causing his black mane to toss. Ri held the back of her hand to the horse's nose so he could smell it. "See? We're friends now."

Em chuckled. "Ri, that thing looks like it could eat you. In one bite."

Ri stroked the horse's head. "Don't listen to a word she says, Blaze. You and I are going to have some fun and then we'll come back and take my wussy girlfriend for a slow trot."

Em laughed. "Ohhh burn. Ok Little Miss Horse Whisperer, we'll see who gets devoured by the Horse from Hell and who doesn't. Have fun."

After that, Em knocked about at the stables on her own for a while while Ri was out riding Blaze. She didn't mind waiting though - the look of pure joy and excitement on Ri's face before she'd swung herself smoothly into the saddle and raced off was enjoyment enough for her.

Em pushed her glasses higher up her nose and squinted into the distance at a small black form racing away as far as she could see.

"Hello." A tall handsome youth a little older than her appeared at her side and leaned on the wooden palings. "Is she alright?"

Em gave him a nonchalant shrug. "Yeah. She's awesome at riding."

"I'm glad." The boy smiled. "She came off badly once. It's good to see her happy again."

Em thought that was strange. Surely Ri was too good to fall off a horse... but what did she know about riding? And Ri did seem to have a fondness for spirited beasts like Blaze out there. How did this guy know who Ri was anyways?

"Uh do you know Regina or something? Do you work at the stables," asked Em, eyeing his riding attire. "They told us no-one else would be here."

The boy didn't answer, he merely kept a knowing gaze on the horizon. He pointed to the rise on the far side of the field beyond the trees. "There's a nice place for a picnic over there. It's fairly secluded. Very romantic. Especially if you don't have to be home in time for tea."

The youth walked away with a wink.

"Yeah ok, thanks. See ya," Em mumbled awkwardly.

* * *

Em watched Ri fussing about with the picnic basket and laying out the tartan blanket meticulously on the ground. Instead of the pastel confections from Mary Margaret's wardrobe that she'd been wearing lately, today Ri was dressed in the riding clothes she'd appeared in. Ri continued smoothing the blanket out with her hand and pouted when the woolen folds wouldn't lay flat on the uneven grass. She was too cute sometimes.

"You gonna have it perfect anytime soon?" teased Em. "I'm starving."

Ri scrunched her nose at her good-naturedly. "You're always starving."

Em looked into the distance innocently and kicked the edge of the blanket with the toe of her Cons, deliberately messing it up.

"Em!" Ri chastised exasperatedly. "Alright, sit down or I'll send you out there with the horses."

True to Ri's word and the recommendation of the boy who Em had seen earlier, the two girls had gone for a slow trot, heading for the far rise of the field so they could have the lunch they'd brought. Their horses - Blaze and Em's sandy-coloured pony - were standing off a-ways, waiting for them and occasionally nibbling at the grass below.

Em crossed her legs under her and made a grab for the Granny's takeaway parcels in the basket. "Okay. What've we got? Chocolate tart, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate eclair ... yup those are all mine obviously... and apple pie for little Ri with whipped cream too … yum-yum-yum ooh what should we get into first?"

Ri laughed. "Em! Those are desserts. Here, have your sandwich first."

Em sighed, pulling at the lettuce poking out the side. "You are way too sensible, Ri. Clearly I have failed in my attempts to lead you astray."

"I hope you learn to eat some healthy greens when you are with child, Em," teased Ri.

"Mmgh," Em grumbled.

"Is something bothering you?" said Ri with quiet concern.

Em shrugged and kept her eyes fixed on the untouched sandwich in her hands.

"You can tell me anything, Em."

"It's um - it's about our kid."

Ri smiled. "I like the sound of that. Our child."

Em looked up at her painfully and her worries tumbled out. "Ri, I dunno if I can do it. I can't - I don't want to have a kid yet. I'm only seventeen. And I don't know if I can give him up. But I also can't bear the thought of hurting you. I want you to be a Mommy. I really do. I want us to be a family one day but I don't want to be alone for so long. I don't know what to do!"

Ri leaned over to drop a gentle kiss on Em's cheek. "Do you remember what you told me when I was worried about the curse? You said 'Try not to worry about it until it's your time'. You are not Emma yet."

Em sighed. "Yeah, I'll try."

The girls settled in comfortably and shared the picnic treats. After the chore of eating the healthy stuff was over, Em happily descended upon the desserts. The two girls ended up sharing all of the treats, licking and sucking chocolate or cream off of each other's sticky fingers or mouths and generally making a big mess of it.

When neither of them could eat another bite, Em laid back on the blanket and pulled Ri down next to her so that she could snuggle up against her.

"I'm so full," groaned Em.

Ri laid her palm on Em's lower stomach and smiled shyly. "Thankyou. For my baby."

"Yeah, the kid's gonna be in there one day isn't he? Gross." Em blushed out of embarrassment.

Ri frowned and poked the blonde's ribs playfully. "It is not gross, Em. It's beautiful."

"Nah, it's totally gross, I've seen it in movies. The kid's a nerd, bet he comes out with a big head. And goopy."

Ri grimaced slightly. "True. I saw a foal being born once. Father took me to the stables. It was the middle of the night, otherwise Mother would've forbidden it if she'd known."

"Eww childbirth! I am so freaked out. You totally owe me hot chocolates for the rest of my life, Ri."

Ri pursed her lips in a smile. "I suppose I could accommodate that. You are often cold, Em, and you do have a habit of forgetting your jacket. I'll just have to warm you up whenever you get cold."

"Yes you will."

"This is a little strange to me."

"What's strange? Apart from the whole thing."

"I always imagined that I'd be the one who had the babies. After I got married I mean. Mother says I should be married already at my age but somehow I still don't feel ready for all of that. I wasn't expecting to ever fall in love. And certainly not with a girl."

Em grinned. "Surprises are nice sometimes. I didn't think I'd ever have a kid. Now I'm gonna be your broodmare."

Ri rolled over on her elbow to hover above the girl who would one day be the mother of her child. Staring into Em's startling green eyes the whole time, she ran the back of her knuckles down the pale cheek and then switched to playing with little wisps of blonde hair that had escaped the other girl's messy ponytail. _Sometimes he looks just like her..._

"What," whispered Em, wondering why she was being studied so intently.

_"_You are so beautiful, Em."

Ri leaned in to kiss her deeply, and though neither of them knew it then, it would be the last such kiss for a long time.


	29. Gears of war

**Double Trouble 29**

**A/N: **I'm a little sorry for the evil cliffhanger. It sounded less evil in my head. Thanks for the lovely reviews. Enjoy!

A thousand thankyous go to **withabrandnewname** on tumblr for the gorgeous cover art for this story :).

* * *

**Chapter 29 "Gears of War"**

Regina was still at work at Town Hall when she got a text message from Emma that made her nearly drop the phone.

Emma Swan: _Hey R (apple icon) (crown icon) (heart icon). I'm nearly finished at work. We have that meeting thingo tonight. What time do you want me to come and lick you up beforehand?_

The newly appointed Acting Mayor stared at the brazen message in shock. They had yet to explore that part of their relationship fully and even though the blonde often teased her with saucy jokes she was surprised that Emma would send such a thing. She was just about to reply in kind when another message came through.

Emma Swan: _Pick! I meant 'pick'. DAMN YOU AUTOCORRECT._

Regina sighed and typed her reply.

_Whenever you're ready, Emma. _

* * *

_Sheriff's station_

Later that evening when Emma returned with Regina, Mary Margaret swiftly intercepted them since the rest of the War Council was yet to arrive. It would be their first formal meeting since the breaking of the curse.

"Em and Ri are babysitting Henry tonight," Mary Margaret informed them.

Emma snorted. "By that you mean Henry's going to be stuffed full of cookies and then sent off to play while Em and Ri make out?"

"They're sensible girls." Mary Margaret amended that statement when she saw her daughter's eyebrows shoot up. "Oh fine! Ri is sensible enough for them both and at least Em knows not to put knives in toasters."

"Uh huh," Emma drawled. "Em is there to make sure Ri doesn't accidentally burn down the apartment... and Ri is there to make sure Em doesn't do it deliberately."

Regina narrowed her eyes at Mary Margaret suspiciously. "There's something else you're avoiding telling us."

"Um," the schoolteacher's eyes darted shiftily. "The girls spent the day at the stables because they wanted to spend some time together and to go riding and have a picnic and - okay, do you want the bad news first or the good news?"

"Bad." "Good." Emma and Regina answered in unison.

Mary Margaret blurted it all out in a rush and gestured wildly with her hands. "Ok-so-the-thing-is, I dropped them off this morning and I gave Em my spare phone again even though she never thinks to call me when she needs help but this time she actually did and so I was really surprised and I'm glad she did because when I got there Ri was injured and very upset. I had to take her to the hospital this afternoon."

"What!" cried Emma. "What happened? Is she okay? Did she fall off a horse?"

Regina frowned. "Surely she didn't get thrown. Even if she did choose the wildest horse there."

Mary Margaret sighed. "No. She wasn't hurt badly and she didn't fall. While Ri was in with the doctor, Em told me it happened when they were in the stables packing up and settling the horses back in. She said Ri was staring weirdly at some bloodstains on the walls like 'she recognised them'. It was an accident but Em thinks it was her fault and feels terrible."

Regina's lips parted in a tiny gasp and her fingertips flew to her scar.

Emma looked helplessly at her mother. "Seriously, I'm freaking out. Explain?"

"She got caught in the face by something made of metal, Em wasn't sure what it was, but Ri ended up with a laceration on her upper lip. She was bleeding a fair bit when I arrived so I thought it'd be best if we went to the hospital immediately. The plastic surgeon used dissolvable stitches after I said that she might not have access to post-operative care soon - just in case something happens and the girls have to go back where they came from. The doctor said it would heal well by itself but there would probably be a small scar."

Emma stared dumbstruck and then flicked her gaze to the woman at her side. "A scar. _Your scar?_"

"I remember." Regina paused, thinking back to the distant past.

Emma's face flooded with realisation. "Wait a sec. Regina, if you got your scar when you were here... do you remember how you got it? Do you remember being Ri now?"

Regina shook her head slowly. "No. I do remember getting the scar, I was 18 years old, but that wasn't how it happened. Not exactly. It wasn't you."

Emma went to ask but the tense brunette sent her a severe "drop it" glare and wouldn't elaborate further.

* * *

_Mary Margaret's apartment (not currently on fire)_

"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSAAA!" Em called out and swung the sparkly wand in the air... but nothing happened of course.

Henry scrunched his face at her. "What's that."

Em shrugged. "I dunno. Some piece-o'-crap toy wand I stole from jerkface's shop."

"You stole from Mr Gold? You're brave." Henry looked impressed. "But you were saying the spell wrong. It's Levi-OH-sa."

"As if, kid. I was watching Harry Potter before you were even born," boasted Em, stepping up to tower over him so they were toe-to-toe. She pushed her thick black glasses back up her nose.

"I know what happens in the eh-end and you-oo doh-on't," sang Henry, tipping his head back to look up at her. "What book are you up to?"

"The latest one. Goblet," said Em. "I nicked it from the library."

Henry giggled. "That's not the latest one! Book seven has been out for years. Even the movies are finished."

Em's jaw dropped and held out her hands in a crazy manner. "Are you serious, kid? You mean I've been here all this time in the future, there's no flying cars, there's no hoverboards and I still haven't found out how Harry Potter ends? Hey, have you got the DVDs?"

Henry nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Do you wanna watch together?"

"YES. Go get them quick, run!"

After Henry scampered off to the bedroom to find his laptop and the discs, Em went to knock on the bathroom door.

"You ok, Ri?" said Em through the wooden door, picking at some of the peeling paint.

"Yes. You can come in," came the muffled voice.

Em swung the door open to see Ri standing at the sink, examining her wounded face in the mirror. She had a row of tiny stitches covered with a bit of white tape on her upper lip and underneath it the skin was reddened and slightly swollen. The injured teen had been fairly upset when it first happened and Em was thankful that for once she was able to get the kind of help for Ri that she usually didn't think to procure for herself.

Ri seemed to be dealing with it much better than Em expected, since she was sometimes overly concerned with her appearance. The importance of keeping her reputation and beauty intact until she was married had been drilled into her from an early age by her mother. Now she knew what it was to be loved for _herself _she wasn't as panicked over losing what she would've once thought was her only asset. But old habits were hard to break.

Em sighed. "Ri, come away from the mirror. It won't get better any faster by staring at it."

"It looks awful," moaned Ri.

Em caught her around the waist. "No it doesn't. Ok yeah, it's a bit scary now but it'll heal. Look at Regina, you can hardly see hers anymore. Plus it makes you look kinda badass."

Ri nodded straight-faced. "You're right. I am not to be messed with."

"You can punch me in the face if it'll make you feel better?" offered Em.

"Maybe some other time," teased Ri. "When you're really getting on my nerves."

"I wish I could kiss it better. Mary Margaret said not to for a little while because mouths are so germy."

"I don't know what that means."

"You know what happened to the sores on my back? It got infected and went all gross so I needed medicine."

"Oh. You mean when wounds crudesce?"

Em shrugged at the archaic medical term. "Dunno. I'm really sorry you got hurt, Ri. I should've taken better care of you."

"You do take good care of me, Em. It was an accident. In any case, I'd rather be scarred by you than be flawless for anyone else. We had such a lovely day together didn't we?"

Em turned Ri around and wrapped her arms around her from behind so that they could both see themselves in the mirror. She placed a kiss on her skin and pressed their cheeks together on Ri's uninjured side. They watched their reflections watch each other for a moment.

"Mirror mirror on the wall, my girlfriend Ri is the prettiest of them all. See how gorgeous you are?" murmured Em.

"We do look nice together," agreed Ri. "See how I'm looking at you right now, Em? I may not be able to kiss you but I'm imagining it."

The doorbell rang signalling the arrival of the pizzas.

"Magic's here!" said Em.

* * *

_Sheriff's station_

Standing in front of the blank-faced audience Emma swore she could hear crickets chirping, despite the fact that they were all friendly faces: Mary Margaret, David, Granny, Ruby, Leroy, the dwarves, Archie, and Marco. They were waiting expectantly, no doubt wondering what they hell they were doing there.

"Er hi, I'm Emma."

Ruby snorted. "Emma, it's not AA. We know who you are."

"Why don't you tell us why you called this meeting," suggested Archie.

"Right," Emma shook her head at herself. "So uh, some weird stuff's been happening in Storybrooke lately. I mean, weirder than the usual wraiths, giants, and sleazy one-handed pirates… Um I'm supposed to be some kinda Saviour but I don't know much about magical threats so I figured I'd ask you guys for help since you're like a War Council who got together to try to stop the curse, right?"

"We're _Snow White's_ War Council," insisted Leroy with emphasis on the Royal name.

"Yeah and?" said Emma, confused.

"_And,_" Mary Margaret sent Leroy a quelling look. "Emma is my daughter so your loyalty extends to her."

The grumpy dwarf shrugged. "Good enough for me. But your kid doesn't seem like much of a princess, Snow."

"Ok," sighed Emma. "So my plan is-"

"Excuse me," interrupted Marco in his thick-accented voice. "The curse is broken. That means we succeeded with our plans, no? To send the baby through the wardrobe to one day return and save us according to the prophecy. Why are we here now?"

"That's the thing," started Emma. "We're still here in Storybrooke instead of being sent-"

"Yeah, why _are_ we still here?" said Leroy. "If the curse was really broken shouldn't we have gone back?"

Archie shook his head and pointed out, "Not necessarily. The curse brought us here and replaced everybody's memories with fake ones so that the happy endings would be forgotten. The prophecy predicted that the curse would be broken, not reversed. The plan succeeded in restoring our identities but there was no guarantee of returning to the Enchanted Forest."

"So how do we get back," persisted Leroy.

"Even if we were able to, it's an important decision as to whether we _should_ go back," said Archie, who couldn't in good conscience ignore the distinct improvement in his quality of life since becoming human again.

Leroy scoffed. "What's hard about it. Either we go back or we don't."

Granny raised her eyebrows at the men. "Some of us have a lot to lose here."

Ruby barely looked up from flicking through her iPhone. "Sure do. If we go back I'm taking a sack full of condoms and tampons. Oh and a lifetime supply of chocolate. Can't live without that anymore."

"RUBY!" hissed Granny.

"What?" Ruby said defensively. "I'm just saying. The modern world has its perks. How are we supposed to go back to the _olden times_ knowing about all that stuff now? Tampons and Instragram are the little things that make life worth living. I have a following you know, I can't just disappear offline forever. Oh and what about my car! I am so not leaving my baby behind."

Emma tried not to laugh. "Ok, we're getting a little off track here-"

"Why is the Blue Fairy not here? She may know something," said Marco with a shrug.

"We didn't hear back from her," replied David. "I called her twice."

Mary Margaret frowned. "Blue's not coming?"

Emma held up her hands and waved to try to get their attention. "Uh guys?-"

Leroy groaned and rubbed his grumbling stomach. "When is the food getting here? I'm starving."

Doc frowned at his fellow dwarf. "Don't be so grumpy, you will be fed eventually. You must learn to have some patience."

"GUYS!" said Emma exasperatedly, but they all kept talking over the top of her.

A ball of orange fire exploded with a loud whoosh in the middle of the room, drawing their attention immediately. The small fireball burned rapidly, taking out a pile of paperwork sitting on the desk where it'd been lobbed and leaving a pile of ash.

Now that they were silent, Regina cast a passive glare around the room. She had been standing against the bars of the cell with her arms crossed, watching the proceedings wordlessly thus far.

"It amazes me how you people ever managed to coordinate yourselves long enough to accomplish anything, let alone formulate a plan to break the 'curse to end all curses'."

"What is she doing here?" hissed Leroy. "You're on the wrong side of the bars there, sister."

"If you would all shut up for five minutes perhaps Miss Swan would get the chance to tell you why we're here," said Regina.

Leroy replied in a 'duh' voice. "This is Snow White's War Council... you know, the heroes that ruined your evil plans? It's a meeting of the good guys and so by definition it can't include _you_."

"Believe me, I'd rather be elsewhere right now," said Regina dryly.

"The door's over there," said Leroy.

"Guys, pleeease," moaned Emma. "I'll vouch for Regina, ok? She's on our side now and we need her help."

"We need magical expertise. Would you rather we invited Mr Gold, Leroy?" said Mary Margaret.

Leroy turned around in his chair. "So now we've got the Evil Queen and the Saviour leading us, or are they both vying for the top job? Whose orders are we supposed to follow? Is this going to be like Game of Thrones... cos I'd watch the hell out of _that_."

David smacked the dwarf up the back of the head causing his beanie to fall off. "Behave! That's my daughter you're talking about."

Emma hit the desk with a thud as she slumped forward with her head in her arms. _The fairytale characters are useless!_

* * *

"Em Swan. Henry Mills. What are you doing!"

The two of them froze like deers in headlights at Ri scolding them with her hands on her hips, looking every bit the commanding Queen she would one day be. The effect was somewhat diminished though since nobody could pose a serious threat in those adorable Snoopy pyjamas.

"Uh nothing," said Em innocently, licking chocolate off her mouth. She was in pyjamas as well - bought for her by Mary Margaret since Emma was running of out clothes too fast by having to share her limited wardrobe with the teen. The pink bottoms were printed with chocolate chips and the black top rather appropriately read: 'Come to the dark side... we have cookies'.

Ri lowered a stern brow. "Get out of the desserts, you naughty things! You haven't had your dinner yet. Em, stop teaching him bad habits. Henry, sweetie, dessert comes _after_ dinner not before."

Em snorted. "He knows that. We just conveniently decided to ignore that rule, didn't we kid?"

Ri brought the pizza box over and handed the others some plates. "Here, have some of this tomato-cheese pie."

Em groaned and shook her head at Henry. "She's like a martian sometimes isn't she? It's called a pizza, Ri."

Ri joined them on the couch so that the boy was between them and the three of them were sitting hip-to-hip-to-hip. Henry and Em got stuck into their slices of pizza with their hands but poor Ri was slowed down by having to cut hers up into pieces and bite them off a fork to avoid her wound.

"Is it still really sore, Ri?" said Henry.

Ri smiled gently. "Not very. Thankfully it doesn't hurt to talk or smile. Or laugh."

"Lucky for me," said Em around a mouthful of pizza. "Cos I don't think I could stop being hilarious."

Ri rolled her eyes and shared a knowing look with Henry. "She thinks she's funnier than she is."

"Start the movie, kid," said Em excitedly. "I'm dying to know how it ends! I wanna know if Harry defeats Voldemort."

"Duh, the good guys always win," said Henry. "Everybody knows that. Otherwise it's not the end of the story."

"Is this another one of those moving picture stories?" asked Ri.

"Yup. It's about a magical orphan with glasses... like me!" said Em.

"And me," Henry chimed in.

Em shot the kid a disbelieving look. "You're not magical. You don't have glasses. You're not even an orphan."

"I do too have magic!" Henry pouted. "You're not really an orphan either, Em. You've found your parents."

The DVD menu appeared on the laptop screen and the distinctive theme music sounded from the speakers.

Em whipped out the toy wand and pointed it at Henry. "SILENCIO! No more spoilers. Press play, kid!"

* * *

"Who's behind this, " asked Granny. "Do we know?

Emma and Regina exchanged a quick glance, unwilling to let the others in on what they suspected. Everything started when the teenagers arrived and even though Henry may not have made his wish they knew he was involved somehow. Protecting the kids was their primary motivation and the Council didn't need to know about that yet.

"We're not sure who's involved," said Mary Margaret vaguely. "We don't even know that it was done with malicious intent."

"There's a limited number of people in town who have access to magic," said David.

"That we know of," Mary Margaret pointed out. "So there's only a few people who could have done this."

Leroy snorted. "Obviously it was one of the resident evils."

"The bad guys"... "The Queen"… "Rumpelstiltzskin"… "One of them for sure!" suggested the other dwarves in succession.

"For the last time, it wasn't Regina," muttered Emma.

Mary Margaret nodded in agreement. "Mr Gold won't help us unless it suits him and if the Blue Fairy knows anything about it she's not saying."

"So what happens when the border shrinks?" asked Ruby anxiously. "We lose our memories? It's going to be very bad at the next full moon if I don't remember that I'm a werewolf."

"We're not going to let that happen, Ruby," promised David. "We will figure this out."

"But what if you can't fix it in time? You'll have to lock me up."

"No," Emma said firmly. "I'm Sheriff and I am not imprisoning innocent people preemptively. Not unless there's a clear threat of danger."

"How long do we have to figure this out?" asked Granny.

Emma unrolled a poster map of Storybrooke and spread it out across the table. She only had to raise her eyes at Regina for her to come over and magically illuminate the map, showing the current position of the border. Regina held her palm above the poster, which began to glow with two concentric rings: a fixed orange outer one and a wavering yellow one inside it.

"The original position of the town line is marked on the map here in orange. The first people to lose their memories on the highway near the Leaving Storybrooke sign were Tom and Belle."

"What memories?" said Tom/Sneezy, confused.

"Nevermind, Snotty," muttered Leroy.

Emma placed her index finger on the map, indicating a section of the woods where the school field trip had taken place. "According to the teacher, this is where the four schoolkids lost their memories... and here," she traced her finger back down the highway, "is where Doc lost his memories approximately one hundred yards from the sign."

"Who's Doc?" said Francois/Doc blankly. "If you're referring to moi, I prefer to be addressed as Doctor Dupont."

"Shut up, Doc," said Leroy exasperatedly. "Go on, kiddo."

Emma gestured to the flickering bright yellow light that formed a jaggedly uneven ring around the town. "Currently the border is at least five miles closer to us from its original position at the town line... but we don't think it's moving at a constant rate. If it's accelerating in fits and starts then we can't predict how long it could take to reach the actual town."

"Take a wild guess," suggested Granny wryly. "Even if it's a bad one."

Emma exchanged a wary look with Regina before answering. "We think this started between two and four weeks ago... so we may have a few more weeks."

"Or only a few days," Archie put in soberly. "Magic is like a rebellious teenager... once it's out in the world on it's own, it doesn't necessarily do what you tell it."

Mary Margaret cocked her head at the wording. "Magic acts as though it has a mind of its own? An underdeveloped risk-seeking emotionally-immature mind?"

"Magic can think?" said Leroy. "Great."

"It can," said Granny. "I heard it depends on how powerful its creator is or on how much control they have over their own power."

"Sooo say if this magic spell, curse, whatever, was cast by someone untrained," said Emma casually. "That person might not have full control over what they cast?"

Regina nodded stiffly. "Yes. Magic is not to be trifled with. Sometimes it lasts longer than you know, past what can be seen. Be careful of the darkness you unleash, lest it turn and head straight for you."

"Well that's cheery," said Leroy sarcastically.

"But what can we do?" asked Marco. "I don't want to forget my boy."

"We're working on it," said Emma lamely, feeling rather inadequate that they didn't have more of a plan of action. She could feel them all staring at her, looking to her for a solution, when she didn't have one to give.

Thankfully Mary Margaret jumped in to help her out. "For now, we need you all to help us keep an eye on things. We're monitoring the border's progress but it is important that nobody goes near it. Especially the people of Storybrooke outside this room. We need to keep this under wraps for now."

David nodded in agreement. "We don't want another situation like when the curse first broke, with people panicking and deliberately heading for the border."

A loud knocking came from the front of the station and the tension immediately dissipated.

"Food's here!" declared Leroy happily.

The dwarves, Marco, Ruby and Granny all got up to follow David, who was going to pay, and help collect the delivery.

Once most of the room had cleared out, Emma slumped in her chair exhausted and laid her forehead onto the cool table. She really wasn't cut out for this.

"Emma honey, you did very well," said Mary Margaret softly, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

"Mmgh," came the sullen response.

"It could've been worse," said Regina, leaning her hip against the desk and folding her arms. "Nobody died."

"They're right," groaned Emma, muffled into her sleeve. "I'm so not princess material. I still can't believe they made me Sheriff. I'm not a leader, I'm not like you guys."

"We don't want you to be anyone but yourself," said Mary Margaret kindly.

Emma raised her head to give her a sarcastic face. "Come on, Mom. Before the curse, before I was born, you didn't expect me to be _me_. You were picturing your daughter dressing up for fancy balls and wearing tiaras and marrying a prince. You know, the _princess_ stuff..."

"Emma." The pixie haired brunette's eyes twinkled. "I'm a princess and I lived in the woods for months with nobody but woodland creatures for company. By the end of it, I had enough twigs in my hair to build a campfire and I'm pretty sure my cape went mouldy. Regina was born a princess too and as a former queen, I'm sure she can tell you the truth about the 'stuff'."

Regina's lips twitched. "Yes, it's highly overrated. Balls are insufferably tedious and full of either simpering flirts or sleazy drunkards, tiaras never seem to sit right, and as for marrying a prince, not many of them are worthy of being called charming..." she let her words trail off tellingly.

"Yeah yeah, I get your point," said Emma begrudgingly. "I don't want any of that."

Mary Margaret stage-whispered over her daughter's head. "Regina, can you imagine us trying to wrangle Em into a ballgown?"

"With or without threats of violence?" said Regina dryly.

"Duct tape might be enough. Definitely a gag to stop her complaining."

Emma groaned again. "I'm so screwed! Since when do Snow White and the Evil Queen team up to torture me?"

Archie headed over to them, from where he'd been observing for some time, smiling mildly. "So, how much of the story did you leave out, Emma. How did this really start?"


	30. Knowledge

**Double Trouble 30**

**Chapter 30 'Knowledge'**

* * *

"So all of this started when your younger selves appeared in Storybrooke?" Archie tilted his head and tapped a finger on his chin as he studied Emma like she was one of his patients. "Hm, and how has that been working out for everyone?"

"Uh they're teenage girls so they're," Emma rolled her eyes, "insanely dramatic. All of us are living in the one tiny apartment so it's been kinda crowded."

Archie nodded slowly. "What about interacting with your younger self... has it offered you some perspective on your past or on the choices that led to you being where you are now, the person you have become?"

"I... guess so?" Emma shrugged. "Em's annoying."

"Is it just you? Or does she annoy the others as well."

"No, she gets along fine with Regina. Both of them."

"Why do you think that is?" said Archie, his tone suggesting that she ought to be able to figure the answer out for herself.

"Um-"

"Haven't we got enough _shrinking _to be dealing with, Dr Hopper," interrupted Regina impatiently. "Instead of trying to psychoanalyse Emma and her not-so-inner child?"

"Hey, Archie." Wide-eyed Ruby came over to grab his sleeve. "You totally gotta see the girls. They're like mini versions of Emma and Regina. It's hilarious!"

Mary Margaret giggled. "They're not physically smaller, Ruby, just younger in age."

"They are so CUTE together. Oh my god it's the sweetest little teen romance you've ever seen."

Archie raised his eyebrows interestedly, eyes darting to Emma first and then Regina. "_Oh._ The girls are in a romantic relationship?"

"Only since the first second they met," said Ruby flirtatiously. "Apparently it was love at first sight."

"Do they know about Henry?" Archie asked shrewdly.

"Not at first," said Emma. "But they do now."

"They got into a fight about who Henry belonged to but they've made up now that they both know he's their son," said Mary Margaret.

"That's interesting," mused Archie.

"_Why_ is it interesting," said Regina flatly, piercing the psychiatrist with her stare.

Emma could hear the crickets chirping in the awkward silence again. "Okayyy, maybe we should um get some food-"

Regina disappeared out of the office, obviously having had enough of the scrutiny, and Emma ducked out after her. She was halfway down the hallway, heels clicking on the cheap lino, when Emma called out.

"Regina, wait!"

Regina stopped and faced her with a disconcertingly blank expression when Emma caught up to her. "They know about us."

Emma tried to keep her reaction neutral. "Okay. Maybe they do. Is that going to be a problem?"

"What are you asking me for. Do you think we have a problem here?"

"Regina. I _know_, ok? I get it. It isn't easy. I know you're freaking out but just... don't freak out ok? It's gonna be fine."

"I destroyed a realm to get my happy ending, Emma. I don't care if there are rumours about us among the rabble. But this could affect Henry, not to mention my chances of re-election."

Emma spoke softly. "We haven't been together very long. It's new. We'll explain it to Henry. We don't have to tell anyone else right away. But we can't keep it a secret forever, people are gonna find out eventually and they're gonna... react. You haven't had a relationship with a woman before have you."

"I haven't had a relationship at all," Regina said defensively. "I never got to be with - to be _with_ - him. We had to sneak around in secret just to see each other."

Emma felt a wave of sympathy rush over her at that. The last time Regina had been in love it was the _people finding out about it _aspect of it that'd led to Daniel's death and her heartbreak. She'd never even gotten to experience fully being with him and then she'd spent years in a loveless marriage lived in the public eye. No wonder she was wary about their relationship becoming common knowledge.

"Why haven't we had sex yet," Regina demanded suddenly.

Emma felt like the question physically knocked her backwards. "Woah. Where did that come from?"

"Why are you holding back? Are you having regrets already, because if you are- "

"No," Emma broke in. "The reason I'm holding back is _because_ I don't want us to regret it. Em and Ri got into trouble by going there too soon. I don't want that to happen to us. I'm holding back because of _you_."

Regina's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Excuse me."

"No. No. Wait," Emma sighed nervously, wishing she could explain herself properly. "Ugh, it's like my brain stops working when I'm around you. Please let me explain. Don't start thinking it's because I don't want you... cos I do. Trust me, I really _really_ do. But last year, we were fighting all the time and you freaked out when all we did was kiss. I don't want you to regret this. I want this to be good for you. I want this to be _it._ For both of us."

"Oh."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "That's what you're going with? You'd better give me more than that to go on when we're in bed together. Since I'm basically going to be running the show myself."

"What do you mean by that? I'm hardly a virgin. I know more than you apparently think I do."

"Reeeeally, so you've been doing some research have you?" Emma's face turned into shock. "Oh my god, it was YOU wasn't it? I found that stuff in Henry's internet history ages ago. I thought his friends might've been sending him dodgy links."

"That wasn't me," Regina denied quickly.

"Oh you are LYING." Emma laughed at the delicious secret she'd unearthed. "You covered your tracks fairly well, I admit. Henry wouldn't have found it but you can't hide from me. I can find anything."

"I know things the internet doesn't. I'm going to destroy you."

"Oh we are so blowing off the rest of this meeting to investigate that statement."

"I'd happily comply but you were the one who called this meeting, Emma. Think of it as payback for all of the whining you've done about having to sit through my meetings."

"I don't even know why you kept dragging me to those! They were boring as hell and nothing to do with the Sheriff's office anyway."

"I know," said Regina haughtily. "Perhaps I just wanted something pretty to look at. Office art."

"You had me turn up so that you could ogle me? Why do I not believe you. Please continue to objectify me though."

"You don't believe me? What about the time I dropped my fountain pen under the table hm?" Regina whispered, playing with the collar of Emma's shirt.

"You ah- you brushed your hand down my calf. It was totally an accident right?" Emma closed her eyes. "You drove me crazy you know. You acted like it never happened and I thought I just imagined it."

"Do you think you're imagining this?" Regina leaned in to press her lips to the curve where Emma's neck met her shoulder.

"Fuck I hope not. Or I'll cry."

"Emma," chided Regina in a low voice. "Are you going to kiss me with that dirty mouth?"

She'd barely gotten the words out before Emma's mouth descended on hers to claim a possessive kiss and for a few minutes they entirely forgot where they were.

_"Ahem, girls?" _

A stern voice came from down the hall caused them to break apart reluctantly.

"We're starting up again," said David, regarding them stonily. "Are you coming?"

* * *

The Council meeting was continuing to discuss the threats and fate of Storybrooke over dinner, although the conversations were wandering all over the place mostly off-topic. Emma was thankful that she didn't have to take the leading role anymore, so she was sitting off to the side with Regina while they ate from takeaway containers.

"Emma, do your parents know?" murmured Regina.

"David does now," Emma said grimly. Given his reaction to seeing them wrapped up in each other, she was not looking forward to _that_ conversation. "Mary Margaret's known I had feelings for you for a while. I know she's probably the last person you'd want to find out about us, but I had no-one else to talk to. She saw us at the station the other day when she came to offer you the job, so I'd say she definitely knows we're together now."

"Excellent."

Emma was shocked. "Huh? You're not mad that they know?"

Regina grinned evilly. "On the contrary, I hope it tortures them to imagine all of the things I'm going to do to their daughter."

"It's certainly torturing _me_ to only imagine them," grumbled Emma.

Regina leaned in to whisper a few ideas in her ear, but when she noticed Archie heading towards them she sat back with a glare.

"Hey Archie," said Emma politely.

Archie dragged a chair over near them. "Hi, you two. Sorry to interrupt."

"We're used to it," said Regina in a fake bright voice.

"Living in an apartment with five other people, I'm sure you are." Archie chuckled and then lowered his voice seriously. "Listen, I wanted to reassure the both of you that you can count on me for discretion. I understand that your situation may be sensitive. You can trust me."

"Thanks," Emma exhaled. "We don't want everyone to know yet, not before we tell Henry at least."

"Of course," Archie nodded with a smile. "May I say how wonderful it is to see you both happy. Especially you, Regina."

Regina immediately prickled defensively. "Why is that. Do you think I'm less likely to kill you in this state?"

The psychiatrist simply shook his head. "No. I take an interest in my former patients and their families. Henry is a favourite of mine. I'm particularly sorry about what happened to you this year, that you were under suspicion for my apparent 'death' and it damaged your personal progress. In a way, I feel responsible for not being able to help you more. My condolences for your mother."

When Regina lowered her eyes, Emma snaked her hand under the table to thread their hands together as an unspoken apology for not trusting her back then. She was all too conscious that her actions - or rather, the lack of them - had encouraged a cornered and vulnerable Regina back into her Mother's controlling arms. She vowed to never let her down in that way again. Emma remembered holding Regina, sobbing and distraught, in her arms mere weeks ago and realised that Archie was probably the only one who had bothered to say 'sorry for your loss' to her. No matter what Cora had done, Regina still loved her mother and grieved her loss.

"Dr Hopper, I'd appreciate it if you would continue seeing Henry," Regina was saying. "Not necessarily for therapy, but he has few friends. You're important to him."

"I'd like that very much."

Emma smiled happily at Regina. "Yeah, he's a good kid isn't he. Apart from being a truant and a credit card thief."

"I never encouraged that behaviour. Those unfortunate traits must be genetic," said Regina.

"You and your son may not be genetically related, Regina, but he's very like you." Archie caught the brunette's frown and nodded. "Yes, he is. As evil or damaged as you ever were, or think yourself to still be, you raised him to be good. You couldn't have done that if there were no goodness within you."

"Wait till you meet Ri, Archie," said Emma wryly. "She's so sweet she'll rot your teeth."

"Archie! If you want some food you better get over here," Ruby called him from across the office, gesturing at him to join her.

"Just a second, Ruby," Archie called back. "One more thing, Regina. This may be an unpopular opinion but from a purely selfish standpoint I for one am glad you cast the curse."

"What?" said Regina, obviously taken aback.

"I'm a conscience. My life's work is to help people find their way. But my parents were cruel and conniving, I couldn't escape their control until I made a wish that changed my life. But the price of that magic was living in the form of a cricket. Here," Archie raised his eyebrows. "I get to do what I love _and_ be myself. So thankyou for that. You have more supporters than you know."

"I in no way intended that," said Regina stubbornly. "If the curse has brought anyone happiness it was an unwanted side effect."

Archie merely shrugged in a 'there you have it' kind of way and got up to join Ruby at the food table.

* * *

"I'm so glad that's over," groaned Emma, rolling her head to release the tension in her neck.

The others had already left the station after the War Council meeting/social event finally wound down. Emma was waiting with Regina and her parents to do a quick tidyup before they could head home. She and Mary Margaret pushed all of the desks back into their original positions in the office with Regina 'supervising' the manual labour from her perch on the Sheriff's desk.

"Ready to go, David?" said Mary Margaret, seeing her husband return from taking out the trashbags.

"Yeah, you guys go ahead for a minute. I want to talk to Regina," said David. "Alone."

Emma jumped in quickly. "No way."

"I want to know what this thing is between you two."

"Oh no, David, don't," moaned Mary Margaret.

"I understand that you're just worried about me-" said Emma, trying to derail where this disaster train was heading.

"No, dear. It's fine," said Regina with a saccharine smile. "Let your father air his grievances against me."

"I hardly need to list them, Regina," drawled David. "We could be here all night."

"Indeed. Then let's none of us waste our breath by having this conversation."

"Interesting choice of words. Considering I was on my last one when the curse came. You know what's the last thing I remember, Regina? Fighting your guards with my daughter in my arms. She was minutes old. Yet she wouldn't have even been in danger if not for you and your threats against her mother."

Regina rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Yes, let's all take a moment to appreciate the precious irony of this love story."

"Love? Is that what this is?"

"I am not going to justify myself to you."

David's voice rose. "And I am _not _going to let you hurt my daughter again! You were prepared to cast a spell on your own son to make him love you, how do I know this is real?"

"Because your wife is still alive," Regina pointed out with a sneer. "That spell requires the heart of the one I hate most. She seems in good health to me."

"Stop!" cried Emma, grabbing her father's sleeve to pull him back preemptively. "Just stop, please. We're getting nowhere with this, we're circling the drain fighting about who's most to blame for the past. This isn't helpful. We are stuck in this crappy situation but arguing isn't going to stop the border shrinking and it isn't going to bring people's memories back. Yes, we're only here because of the Evil Queen...

"A-and I love her, ok? I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd react like this."

David flinched at Emma's confession but he let her go on uninterrupted.

"If there's one thing we all should've learned from having Em and Ri around is that both of them had a crappy childhood and some of that is what made us who we are now. Who knows why Regina ended up Evil and I ended up Good? Those roles were assigned to us before we were even born by Rumpelstiltzskin. What if it had've been the other way around? Would you still love me if I'd been the Evil Princess instead?-"

"Of course we would," said David fiercely.

"-Why does anyone turn out bad? Do they start off vulnerable or do they have bad things happen to them along the way? Maybe some people are stronger than others and maybe some people get less help than they need. Not a single person ever helped me in my entire life... but I never had an evil genius mastermind whispering in my ear, twisting the fuck out of my mind, either.

"So," Emma paused for her first breath. "What I want is for my son to grow up in a better world than I did, to have a better chance than either of his mothers had. We can't give him that if his family is fighting all the time. I trust Regina... and that has to be good enough for you."

David nodded slowly, shooting glances at Regina while he considered his daughter's words and her staunch defense of the woman she obviously loved.

"It is enough. That's all I wanted to know." David turned to Regina. "I hope for all our sakes that you really have changed. You have two good reasons to make it work now. Take care of my daughter."

"Or else I'll be burned at the stake? Yes, thank you, Charming, I understand your meaning perfectly," said Regina, with a glare.

"No, actually you don't. It wasn't a threat, Regina. All I'm _asking_ is that you to take care of her."

David turned back to Emma and raised his eyebrows sternly and pointed at her in that characteristic parental manner. "The same goes for you, young lady."

"Huh what?" said Emma, confused by how this had been turned around on her.

It was Mary Margaret's turn to fold her arms and pin a look on her daughter. "Emma, have you even taken her on a date yet?"

Emma gaped open-mouthed. "Ah I - "

David surreptitiously sent his wife a wink and started to lecture his daughter. "Open doors for her, buy her flowers, turn up on time - don't look at me like that, Emma, I know you - ask her questions, compliment her dress, and don't forget-"

"Chivalry is not dead," finished Mary Margaret primly. "Make sure you treat her like royalty."

Emma blinked and saw that Regina was also struck dumb by whatever joke was being played on them. "Ohhh... wow. Dating advice from the Dark Ages. Thanks parents, that's actually really really annoying of you."

David reached over to pat Emma's head. "Anytime. It's your mother's fault. She never told me we were having a girl so I had the boy's speech all planned out. I didn't want it to go to waste. Guess it came in handy anyway."

"Oh god, kill me," groaned Emma, peeking out between her hands. "My parents are so embarrassing!"

"Don't look at me," said Regina in a dry tone. "I tried to get rid of them for you."

Mary Margaret watched the two of them interact with a gleam of mischief in her eye. "Actually, Regina, David and I have you to thank for our love story. We met by chance in the woods and I wouldn't have even been there if you hadn't banished me from the kingdom. No matter how hard you tried to destroy our True Love, we only found each other because of you."

"Oh. my. god. Would you just _stop_!" Emma said in slow horror. "Are you _trying_ to get yourselves killed? She looks like she's gonna vomit."

Regina merely stared complacently at the Charmings, looking indeed as though she had a bad taste in her mouth. "I suppose I'll just have to exact my revenge through your first born child."

Emma's eyes widened at the depth of Regina's sultry voice, especially since it was laced with pure lust and the thought of just what that revenge would be sent a shiver racing up her spine. Regina pursed her lips for a second. Then quick as a flash she grabbed Emma's face from the side, flicked out her tongue and licked up the pale skin from chin to cheekbone.

_Oh god oh god oh god._ Emma froze in shock. She was left feeling flushed all over. That was... _oh, hell yes_... but what was Regina thinking doing that in front of her parents!_ Are all families this insane or is it just mine?_ she wondered.

"Very funny, Regina," groused David.

"GO. Get out of here, you two," Mary Margaret said in wry amusement.

Regina's glorious smile declared her victory and she slid her hand into Emma's. "Come, dear. We're leaving."


	31. Sweet dreams

**Double Trouble 31**

**Chapter 31 'Sweet dreams'**

Mary Margaret's heart melted at what she and her husband saw when they got home from the meeting. She whipped out her phone to take a quick photo before the kids noticed.

Em and Ri were sitting on the couch wearing pyjamas and both still had damp hair from earlier showers. Henry was squished between them and all three kids had their feet resting on the coffee table where the laptop and a pile of DVD boxes sat. They must have had a movie marathon and stayed up all night. It was late now and there was more than one pair of droopy eyelids fighting to stay awake until the end credits.

"Hi, you three," Mary Margaret whispered. "We're home."

"Did you figure it out yet?" Henry asked sleepily, referring to the agenda of the Council meeting. His movement bumped Em, who had her head on his shoulder.

"Not yet." Mary Margaret pulled the sleepy boy to his feet. "Go brush your teeth quickly before bed."

"Where's Regina and Emma?" said Em, rubbing her fist into her eye underneath her glasses.

"It's getting a little crowded here, so they're staying at Regina's house tonight," said David. He started clearing the kids' pizza boxes and plates away.

"Ha! Yeah right, crowded. They just wanted some _alone time_." Em made air-quotes with a huge grin. "I oughta go over there and bust things up as payback."

Ri sat up and yawned. "What are you going on about, Em?"

The blonde teen clapped one hand against the other in the air. "I can't give Emma a high-five so I'll just give myself one. Go me!"

Mary Margaret and David stifled laughs.

"Oh!" Ri blushed. "You mean they're having sex?"

"I'll tell you when you're older, Ri," Em laughed and hid her reddened face in the back of the couch.

"Stop teasing her, you," said David, jostling his daughter's shoulder playfully.

"Ri, come into the bathroom for a minute," said Mary Margaret. She grabbed a paper bag from her handbag and led the pyjama-clad brunette away.

"Finished!" Henry jumped up from nowhere and dove over Em's lap.

"Oof! Watch it, kid. You're heavy." Em complained.

David pulled out the blankets and pillow and ordered the kids to get off the couch so he could make it up into a bed for Henry. When he was done, he tucked Henry in and the boy fell asleep almost immediately.

"Em?" whispered David, taking her elbow. "Regina's not here to conjure the beds so you're sleeping with Ri in Emma's bedroom. _But,_" he raised his eyebrows sternly. "No funny business ok? You are to sleep. Be careful of her injury."

"Yep." Em nodded readily, fully aware yet surprised that she was actually being trusted for the first time ever. "I'll take care of her. Always. Um thanks. Dad."

* * *

"Let's have a look at your stitches, honey."

Mary Margaret sat Ri on the edge of the bath and tilted her head back into better light. "It's looking good. Do you feel ok?"

"It's sore now," said Ri, frowning. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's just the local anaesthetic wearing off."

Mary Margaret opened the pack of pills she'd brought from the pharmacy and filled a glass of water from the sink. "Here, take this. It'll stop it hurting for a little while and let you sleep better."

"What's that green liquid." Ri eyed the bottle the older woman held.

"Swish your mouth with this, it'll keep the wound clean so you don't get sick. Don't swallow it."

When Ri finished at the sink, she raised her eyes to search her reflection in the mirror on the wall above.

"You're very kind to me," said Ri. "I love her, but I don't know that my mother would coddle me like this. Em is lucky."

Mary Margaret squeezed the teen's shoulders gently. "Well, as long as you're here I'll take care of you."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you always kind to me when I tried to kill you several times." Ri's eyes in the mirror were serious and dark.

"Everyone deserves kindness, especially those who are in pain. Regina has reason to feel more of it than most."

"Please forgive her," Ri begged softly. "If she truly wanted you dead, you would be."

Mary Margaret pressed a kiss to Ri's forehead. "I know, honey. I call you that because you're so sweet."

Ri ran her hand down a pale cheek. "I always wanted to meet you, Princess Snow White. You are what they say."

"Our history will be complicated, Ri, both in the past and in the future. You may not remember, but I hope you know that I'm always on your side. Others may give up on you, but I never will."

Ri's smile was knowing and mature, and for a flicker of a second she looked exactly like her older self. "She loved you once. If you were ever in her heart you're still there."

Mary Margaret smiled and then shooed her out the door. "For now I get to be the boss so it's off to bed with you. Goodnight."

* * *

Ri crept into the bedroom carefully since the lights were already off. In the dim light she could see that Em was in bed so she lifted the covers and slipped in next to her quietly in case she was already asleep.

"Mmm Ri s'at you?" Em slurred.

Ri whispered back. "It's me. Sorry I woke you."

"S'ok. Not asleep yet. Waiting for you to say g'night."

Em rolled over so that the two girls were facing each other when Ri laid down and settled under the blankets.

Ri said softly. "Hi."

"Hi yourself."

"Go to sleep."

"No. You first. Why don't _you_ go to sleep," Em whispered playfully.

Ri giggled and they lay silent for a few minutes until she reached out for Em's hand to hold. "This is nice isn't it."

"Yeah. I love being close to you."

"Me too. How do you think they're going?"

Em let out a laugh and then shushed herself in case the sound carried in the small apartment. "I'm sure it's fine, Ri. They know what they're doing."

"Em, can you tell me? What is it like to have sex?"

Em sighed. "Oh no, don't ask me that. It's not a great story. I know you're a romantic little sap and you've got your heart set on first love but it's not always like that in the real world. I don't want to tell you and put you off it. Life's not like a fairytale."

"I can take the truth. But only if you don't mind telling."

"Alright um..." The covers rustled as Em fidgeted. "I slept with a guy from my school last year, Dean Chase. He was a few years older and I knew him cos he was friends with my foster brother. We weren't boyfriend and girlfriend or anything but I liked him. We hung out a few times. It just kinda happened. I don't know what I expected but I was a bit disappointed by the whole thing. He was cool about it though."

"Oh." Ri was a little confused. "I thought you liked girls."

"I do. I know for sure now. At first I thought it wasn't good with Dean cos I didn't like him enough or cos I wasn't very good at it, but it wasn't that. It didn't feel right."

"Have you had sex with a girl too? Is it better?"

"I dunno. I haven't gone that far with a girl."

Ri tried to sound casual but she didn't quite succeed in keeping the hurt out of her voice. "Was there someone else before me?"

"No, not like you," said Em softly. "But there was a girl who went to the same church as us. This was the second last foster home I was in. I had a crush on her. My foster brother walked in on us one day and he told his parents. They were super religious so I got kicked out and put back into the system. That's how I ended up living with the Hendersons, the meth-heads who used to use me as an ashtray before I ran away for the last time. I was just a meal ticket to them anyway. So glad I'm done with all that crap, now I can just be me and take care of myself."

"I'm glad you are too. I'm sorry you had to go through all that alone."

"Nah I'm alright. Tougher than I look."

"So I've heard. You're a 'karate in blackbelt'." Ri giggled, remembering the first thing Em had ever said to her.

Em laughed at herself. "Yeah. Something like that."

"Now seriously, Em. I know you're really strong and independent but you don't have to be so stoic with me. Let me take care of you sometimes. You can trust me with anything. What happened with the other girl?"

Em nodded and bit her lips together before deciding to go on. "I really liked her. After we got caught, her parents wouldn't let me see her. My foster parents went off their heads at me when they found out. They called me disgusting and said I was going to hell and all this other bullshit. I heard that Melanie was sent away to some Catholic boarding school interstate so they could 'fix her'. I don't see how it's a sin to love somebody. How can it be wrong what we feel for each other, Ri?"

"I don't think it's wrong, do you? I don't understand this world sometimes."

"Me either." Em laid onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "My foster dad lectured me for hours. He said there was something wrong with me and that's why nobody wanted me and it was obvious why my parents gave me away. He said it was no wonder that I turned out bad. I was afraid that it was true. I know I get into trouble a lot and I'm not a great kid. But I don't think my real parents mind. I thought they would try to keep us apart but it seems like they're ok with it now."

"Your parents must love you a lot, Em, if they're willing to put aside the past and give their support to Emma and Regina after everything she's done. You're happy you've found them aren't you?"

"Yeah." Em smiled in the dark. "When I was little I used to dream that my parents were looking for me and that one day they'd find me. I used to make up stories about them, that they hadn't really wanted to give me away, that they'd been forced to or that they'd lost me by accident. As I got older I realised it probably wasn't true. I told myself they must've been druggies or criminals or nutjobs and I was so angry at them for not being good enough to keep me. But since I came here I found out that the truth is even better than my dreams. I have a Mom and Dad and they wanted me. They love me."

"Of course they do, sweetheart. How could they not?" Ri had tears in her eyes at Em's words. She laid her head on Em's shoulder and hugged her close.

"What about you?" asked Em. "What would your parents think about you being with me?"

"I don't think they would like it. You know where I'm from and what happened to the poor stable boy in the book," said Ri sadly. "Daddy might be fine with it as long as I was happy but Mother definitely wouldn't approve and he never gainsays her. She has very strict ideas about what I'm supposed to do with my life. All she ever talks to me about is my getting married and making a good political match for the family. Sometimes I think she only lets me ride because it's proper for a lady to know how, but she doesn't like it when I practice jumps or race Rocinante. She says I should ride sidesaddle like a proper lady, but it's so awkward and it can be injurious to the animal. I'd never want to hurt Rocinante. But she doesn't care! So I try to ride when she's busy or away. I've never been able to stand up to her. She cares too much about reputation and image. Who knows what the people there would've said about us? I guess we'll never know."

They lay together quiet for a while and Em had almost drifted off to sleep when Ri whispered something to her.

"I think you're my True Love, Em."

Em mumbled back sleepily. "I want to be. But you said that in the book the stable boy was your True Love. How can it be both?"

"I don't know. Regina may have loved the stable boy but I've never even met him. All I know is I feel complete with you and I can't imagine being without you. I've waited my whole life to feel like this. It is you, I know it. I used to read stories when I was little and imagine that my True Love would come for me and we'd be together forever. Of course back then I was imagining more of a knight in shining armor riding up on a golden horse to take me away."

"Yeah sorry about that. No armor, no horse," said Em. "I suck at riding but I can drive stick. Does that impress you?"

"I think it's like you said before - reality turned out to be even better than I dreamed. We're two princesses who fell in love with each other instead of who they said we should. I wonder how our story ends?"

Em snorted. "With lots of _happy endings_ I hope."

Ri giggled. "Don't think I don't know what you're talking about! I hope Emma and Regina are getting there. We did it, we saved them. They're going to be a family. Oh Em, we're going to have a son together. Isn't it amazing?"

"I dunno if it's amazing," Em teased her girlfriend for gushing over the romance of it all. "I suppose he came into the world just like every other person who ever lived. Crying and goopy."

"Very funny." Ri poked her in the ribs. "I don't care what you say, my baby boy is special."

"He's a nerd. Bit of a brat too."

"He can sometimes be a little naughty. Must take after you."

"He's too smart for his own good. Like you."

Ri yawned widely. "Be quiet, Em. You're keeping me up."

"You started this whole conversation. Go to sleep."

"Shhh."

"Shush you."

"You first."

"No, you."

The two girls burst into giggles and the argument descended into a tickle fight that ended only when neither of them could keep their eyes open any longer.

* * *

When the apartment was dead quiet and still, Henry rolled out from under the blankets that made up his makeshift bed on the couch. He hadn't been asleep at all. He crept over to Emma's bedroom and pushed open the door as silently as possible. The teenage versions of his mothers were finally asleep and it was odd to see them so peaceful.

The boy reached into the pocket of his pyjamas and pulled out what he'd stashed there earlier. Henry looked at the small pile of dust which glittered like diamonds in his palm even in the dark of night.

With a deep breath he blew the diamond dust over the girls and then ran back to his bed in case they woke up.

_"I wish..."_


End file.
